Date A Live: Skies of Inception
by paomayo
Summary: When Shido, Tohka, and Origami enters the world of Strangereal, they bumped into unexpected twists. They were surprised to learn that the famed Gryphus One of Aurelia was similiar to Hiroto Tonomachi back at their world. And now the crisis that has hit Tenguu hard suddenly appeared in theirs as well. Now they must work together to solve Strangereal's biggest threat since Ulysses.
1. Chapter 1 - Skies of Inception

_All trademarks and properties are part of their respective owners._

(Somewhere in Japan)

Tenguu City, a place where life has some unusual features. For one, this is the place for frequent appearances of spacequakes caused by a life form called a 'Spirit'. The first instance happened in Eurasia, where the 'First Spirit' killed a total of 150 million people in one go. But evereything changed years later when a boy by the name of Shido Itsuka encountered one. Fearing for his little sister's safety, he ran to find her, only to stumble upon a 'Spirit' by the name of Tohka Yatogami, which she was named during their second encounter. Now, as an agent of the organization, Ratatoskr, and a symbol of hope for both species, he created peace between them and life has returned to normal.

(Itsuka residence)

Years later, he got a job as a commercial airline pilot and he is on his way to the nearby airport. Just then, he heard a knock on the door.

"Shido, are you home?" A female voice asked.

"Tohka?" He replied. "I'm coming!" He then reached the door and he found Tohka in front of him.

"Hey, you wouldn't mind coming with me to Date Town for a date? I just want to do this before you leave for your job."

"Uh, well, I'm on a tight schedule." He answered. "I may not be able to push through with the date."

"But...why? Why can't we?"

"Because...uh...because..."

Tohka then grabbed Shido's sleeve. Then, when he saw Tohka's sadness, he changed his mind.

"Uh, alright." He reluctantly agreed. "We can do this quick."

"Thank you, Shido." She thanked him with joy.

(Date Town)

At the town, the area is bustling with activity. People went to different stalls to by food and play games, shops and arcades for fun and pleasure. Within it, Tohka was browsing for a few new clothes while Shido was tagging along. In one shop, she set her sights on a wedding dress.

"Uh Shido, would it be okay for me to buy this?" She asked Shido.

"You mean that wedding dress? We didn't even proposed yet."

"So that's what people do, propose then go for their wedding? What does that even mean?"

"Well, it means that the boy asks the girl for her hand and she was given a ring to show that they are meant to be together." He explained.

"Oh wow!"

"Don't worry. Maybe we are meant to be together." Tohka blushed hearing what Shido said. Just then, her stomach growled.

"Uh, I am kinda hungry." She admitted. "Let's go find a place to eat."

"Sure." He agreed. "But I want it quick. I really need to go to the airport in a while."

After finding a nearby ramen shop, the two began to eat their orders. Tohka ate faster than Shido which attracted the attention of nearby patrons.

"Slow down, Tohka!" Shido told her. "You know that this is not the place to do it!"

"But I just felt really hungry. I'm sorry if it bothered you."

"It's okay." Shido said with calm. "Anyway, can you call Origami to pick you up later?"

"Okay then. I'll do it."

"And remember, Yoshino is having her dress repaired so you may want to stop by at the tailor shop."

"Gotcha!"

Just then, he felt his cellphone ringing. When he pick it out of his pocket, it was revealed to be Origami Tobiichi, a friend of Shido and a Spirit whose parents were killed by her own doing in the previous timeline.

"Yeah."

"Listen, I have to run out to get my laptop fixed." She explained. "I may not be able to stop by Date Town for today to bring Tohka home."

"Uh, you sure?"

"Yeah. Sorry about that."

"I'll see what I can do." Shido continued. "See you later."

"I will." She then end the conversation which made Tohka concerned.

"Is there anything wrong?"

"Well..."

Just then, he noticed a figure outside the shop. When he got a little closer, she was shown to be a girl in her early 20s based on her appearance. Judging by her clothes she was wearing, he then thought it was another Spirit that Shido didn't seal.

"Tohka, it looks like another Spirit has showed up." Shido told Tohka. "We better get going."

"You're right. I'm with you."

They both ran outside and began to chase her through the town.

"Can you try to contact Kotori?" She asked Shido.

"I can't." Shido replied. "It's jammed. Forget it. We have to deal with this ourselves."

Street after street, alley after alley, a cat-and-mouse chase and ensued between them. Shido then began to take out a box which contains the Sephira Crystal, Sandalphon.

"Tohka, here!" He threw the box and Tohka grabed it. In almost an instant, a bright light covered her, indicating her transformation into a Spirit.

"...Adonai Melek!"

After the light dissipated, she was now wearing her Astral Dress, a purple-and-cream armor. The two then closed in on the runaway Spirit.

"We're not here to hurt you!" Shido tried to persuade her. "We're here to help."

She was then cornered at a dead end. Suddenly, another figure appeared. It was Origami in her Astral Dress.

"Origami?!" Shido asked with surprise. "What are you doing here?!"

"The sensor within Date Town just picked her signal 2.3 minutes ago." She explained. "I was worried that you two might get hurt."

"Thanks for giving us a hand!" Tohka replied.

"No problem."

Shido, Tohka and Origami hold their ground, hoping that the Spirit would finally accept their assistance. Just then, she began to emit a strange energy as it began to slowly engulf the trio.

"What the...?" Shido muttered.

"What kind of energy is she emitting?!" Origami followed. "This can't be..."

"Hold on guys!" Tohka shouted as the Spirits and the boy were inside the yellow ball of light. Shortly after, they disappeared from sight.

(Phuku Lagolla Air Base, southwest of Griswall, Federal Republic of Aurelia - March 15, 2022, 0551 hrs.)

In the airbase's Space Reconnaissance Center, two scientist were scanning the southern portion of the continent of Osea looking for any unusual activity. One of them is viewing the reports for scrutiny.

"Anything going on?" One of them asked.

"Nothing unusual, George." Another replied. "Just normal readings on the papers, even on the monitor."

"I see. Nothing to be concerned of."

"I just watched last night's game!" The other scientist said regarding last night's Aurelian Baseball League between the Griswall Eagles and the Santa Elva Squirrels. "Two home runs in one game!"

"Wait, you saw Andy Rodriguez of the Santa Elva Squirrels pulling it off?" George asked with excitement.

"Yeah man! It's huge! Santa Elva went nuts about it!"

"Hehehe, good times. Good times."

Just then, an alarm went out, which made their celebration short.

"What's going on?!" The scientist asked with concern. "Is there another anomaly?"

"Hold on." George said. "Let me check."

He went to the computer to pinpoint the location of the disturbance. When he did, he was shocked by what he saw.

"Oh my..."

"George, what did you see?!"

"The location is in..."

The two were together to see the monitor.

"...downtown Griswall."

(Downtown Griswall, 0559 hrs.)

The citizens were doing their regular things like work and school. This was in contrast to the Aurelian War of 2020 between the Federal Republic of Aurelia and the Democratic Republic of Leasath which engulfed them, sometimes in the crossfire. This time, they are in for a different awakening.

As the city street slowly becomes crowded, a bright yellow light engulfed an almost empty intersection. Drivers and onlookers were shocked by what they saw. When the light was gone, all it revealed was a well-dressed boy and two girls wearing strange and different outfits.

"Uh, were are we?" Tohka asked.

"This doesn't look like Tenguu City." Origami examined the surroundings. "It appears that the light brough us to a North American city."

"But this one doesn't look like Chicago." Shido followed. "I guess that we are not on Earth anymore, maybe in another dimension."

"Are you sure, Shido?" Origami asked him.

"Looks like it."

"Shido, everyone is watching us." Tohka said with concern. "We need to go."

"But how? We don't know where we are now."

Just then, they heard the sound of police sirens.

"We have to go now!" Shido told the girls. "We are in trouble."

Just as he finished, armed SWAT teams and officers surrounded them.

"Attention, unknown contacts!" One of them shouted in a megaphone. "This is the Griswall Capital Police Department! Put your hands where I can see them!"

"What?!" Shido asked in confusion? "...Griswall?!"

He then thinked on one thing.

"Tohka, Origami, let's go!"

"Open fire!" The officer ordered and they fired their sub-machine guns to no avail. The two then lift Shido up to a skyscraper.

"Dammit! Who are those guys?!" One SWAT officer asked. "Are those even humans?!"

Shido, Tohka and Origami then felt a bit relieved but they knew that they are surrounded.

"Shido, are you okay?" Tohka asked.

"Yeah." Shido replied while catching his breath. "I'm fine."

"Thank goodness." She then proceeded to hug him.

"I'm glad that we are okay." Origami said. "What now?"

"We need to get out of 'Griswall', whatever the locals called." Shido told them.

"I can help you with that." Tohka assured them. Below, anxious officers are waiting for their next move.

"Give me a sitrep." The officer asked.

"We have evacuated the populace within a five-block radius, sir." Another reported. "I also managed to get in touch with the Army garrison."

"Good."

Just then, they noticed another light, this time in a dark purple color.

"Over there." There, they found the group flying away from the tower and heading southeast. The officer then turned on the radio.

"Someone get me the Air Force on the line!"

Tohka, Shido and Origami then fled the city and began to hide in the clouds.

"I think were safe for now." Shido said in relief. "Whew."

"Maybe." Origami reluctantly followed as she saw the city from above. "Let's hope we don't run into trouble."

Just then, they heard a noise.

"You hear that?" Tohka asked. "It sounded like something is watching us."

Suddenly, two F-22 Raptors flashed by and began to turn to chase the trio.

"Gryphus One to Crux, we spotted the three personnel escaping Griswall." The pilot reported.

"Aknowledged, Gryphus One." 'Crux' replied. "Make them stand down and report to base. You may shoot if provoked."

"Copy that."

He then radioed Shido and the girls.

"Attention, unidentified species." The pilot told them "This is the Gryphus Squadron of the Aurelian Air Force. You are in restricted Aurelian airspace. State your intentions or we will shoot you down."

"'Aurelia'?" Shido asked in confusion. "And how come my com is in this frequency?"

"I don't know about you three." The pilot said. "Where do you come from?"

"We don't come from here. And we don't know where we are now."

"Shido, what are you doing?" Tohka asked him.

"Trying to convince them that we are not their enemies." He replied. "Let's just cooperate with them."

"Alright." The pilot agreed. "If you are not from here, then follow us."

"Okay, we will."

The planes then turned around and began their flight home.

"This is Gryphus One, all three contacts are non-hostile." He reported. "I repeat, non-hostile."

"Crux, copy that." The operator finished.

Shido then began to wonder about the pilot.

"Is something wrong, Shido?" Tohka asked. "You looked kinda confused."

"One minute you are desperate." Origami followed. "The next, you changed."

"Yeah." Shido replied. "The pilot's voice sounded familiar."

(Phuku Lagolla Air Base - 0630 hrs.)

At the base, they were awed by the planes on the tarmac. Both this world and the trio's feature similar arsenals but in the world where Griswall was situated, it features unusual ones as well. One of them features an unusual cockpit design that complements the forward-swept wing design.

"What is that?" Tohka asked in curiosity.

"Uh, ma'am, that has classified hardware." A base personnel said. "Please back off."

Shido and Origami arrived to remind Tohka.

"We need to find the pilot right away." Shido told her.

"We had enough trouble for today." Origami followed. "Let's go."

Just then, the pilot arrived.

"I see that you three are interested in the XR-45." He complemented.

"Well, one of the personnel told her to back off." Shido replied. "That's all."

"Listen, the top brass wants to speak with you. We better move."

"Thanks for that."

Shido then decided to ask a question.

"I needed to ask. Who exactly are you?"

"We'll, I almost forgot."

He then proceeded to take of his helmet. When he did, they were shocked.

"To...Tonomachi?!" The trio asked.

"Yes I am." He replied. "Captain Hiroto Tonomachi of the Gryphus Squadron."

"But, how were you able to get here?"

"Are you acting wierd?" Tonomachi asked. "Seems to me that you mistook me for someone else."

"Yeah." Shido confirmed. "We thought it was a friend of ours back home."

"Don't worry. We can help you get home. For now, follow me. You three are the only ones who can help us solve a particular problem."

"What kind of problem?" Tohka asked.

"Once we meet the commanders, you will know." The three then began to follow him.

"So if he's not our Tonomachi, then where are we now anyway?" Origami asked Shido.

"Guess we better find out." Shido replied. "Tohka, I guess it is us and him."

"Yeah." Tohka responded.

The three then proceeded to the headquarters of the airbase to meet with the officers of the army.

 _A/N: What do you think of this? You may be wondering why Tonomachi is Gryphus One. Well, he may need more screentime._

 _Anyway, to coincide with the announcement of_ Ace Combat 7 _, I decided to make a fanfic about it and Date A Live and it takes place in Strangereal to keep up with hype. You may also check out a fanfic called_ Ace A Live _at Fanfiction Wiki._

 _This is paomayo, and I'll see you in the skies, fellow aces and readers._


	2. Chapter 2 - Ghosts of the Belkan War

(Phuku Lagolla Air Base, southwest of Griswall, Federal Republic of Aurelia - March 15, 2022, 0638 hrs.)

Shido, Tohka and Origami were following a pilot who looked and sounded exactly like their friend Hiroto Tonomachi back home. He was known to exhibit calmness in times of trouble and wasn't afraid to speak out on what he likes. The 'Tonomachi' in another world seemed to contain many of those qualities. When they approached a conference room, Tonomachi began to give them some reminders.

"Listen guys, they are very tense since the day something happened here." He explained.

"I get it." Shido replied. "We might tell them what we know."

"That's works too. We'll be going in now."

They opened the door and as expected, the officers of the Aurelian Armed Forces were there. But there is also a few officers from the Osean Federation, Independent State Allied Forces, Republic of Ustio, Republic of Emmeria and the Union of Yuktobanian Republics. Tonomachi didn't hesitate to salute and the trio did the same as well.

"Please, sit down." An officer told them. "Captain Tonomachi, you also."

"Yes, sir." Tonimachi replied.

"We will." Origami followed.

They sat down to discuss the situation in this world.

"So, you may be wondering why you are here?" An Aurelian officer asked.

"We didn't came here intentionally." Tohka replied. "We only tried to persuade a girl to stop running and get help. We thought it was just a runaway Spirit until she brought us here."

"I see." An Osean agreed with their view. "So this "Spirit" is the reason why you are here?"

"Yes."

"In terms of what you know, you three are probably our only hope in solving the problem of these destructive spheres popping around unusually." The ISAF officer said.

"Wait!" Shido shouted. "'Destructive spheres'?"

"Yes." An Ustian officer responded. "It plagued us recently. So far, no one is killed because of it, but we have to stay on guard since it could attack us at any time."

They then showed the map of the world they are in right now.

"Yup, definitely not in our world anymore." Origami confirmed quietly. The map then zoomed in to an area known as 'Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R', otherwise known as 'The Round Table'.

"Two months ago, this area was hit by the spheres we mentioned earlier." The Aurelian explained as the screen began to show the photo of the incident, which shocked the trio even more. "The purple sphere made an almost clean crater when it touched the ground. There is also someone in ground zero at that time."

"We know these." Shido said. "Those are what we called 'spacequakes'."

"'Spacequakes'?"

"Yes, it is a phenomenon when the walls bewteen dimensions are hugely bent, causing a spacequake to occur." Origami explained. "It also signals the arrival of a 'Spirit'."

"Okay then." The officer responded. "Then, there is this."

He showed a picture of a girl which bore an exact resemblence to the Spirit the trio chased earlier. This shocked them.

"Wait." Shido said. "We know her."

"You do?" The Aurelian asked.

"Yeah. Just this recently."

"Now that we found out what caused those spacequakes to occur, we would like to offer you a proposal." He continued.

"Come again?" Shido asked.

"If you help us in dealing with these 'Spirits', in exchange, we would help you get you home." The Aurelian continued. "Our top scientists are checking it out as we speak. Plus, we'll tell the governments that you are no threat to this world, unless you do something fishy."

"Thanks." Shido agreed. "On one condition. We will only deal with these 'Spirits' peacefully."

"Interesting." An Emmerian said. "Whatever they are, they are determined to deal with threats in that manner."

"That's settled then." The Yuktobanian officer agreed. "I will inform Cinigrad about this."

"We'll also inform the other governments about it also." The Osean followed. "Welcome aboard, you three."

"It's an honor working with you, everyone." Shido replied and the trio then saluted.

Few minutes later, the trio and Tonomachi left the room walking.

"So, how does it feel working with a world that suddenly finds itself at a tense time?" The captain asked.

"Well, not surprising." Shido replied. "We dealt with that before."

"You do?"

"Yes, captain." Tohka followed. "If he saw a Spirit like the two of us right now, what Shido did was take her on a date."

"Huh? Really? That was unexpected."

"What?!" Shido shouted. "Why did you had to say that?! It's embarrasing for me when you tell them."

"Don't worry." Tonomachi assured. "I won't tell anyone."

"Uh, good."

"Speaking of which, I think Shido needs something else aside from a date." Origami said.

"Yeah." The captain continued. "I'm thinking that Shido here needs some wings."

"What?" Shido felt surprised again.

"That's right. Later on, I'm training him to pilot a fighter jet."

"Oh, okay then. I just got a job as a commercial airline pilot just recently."

"Good." Tonomachi said. "Basic knowledge is key."

He then asked them about their names.

"Since I introuduced myself earlier, why not you too. At least we can know each other more."

"That's right. My name is Shido Itsuka." He introduced himself.

"I am Tohka Yatogami, a friend to Shido." Tohka followed.

"And I'm Origami Tobiichi, former soldier and also a friend of Shido." Origami followed last.

"Now that settles it." Tonomachi replied. "Let's go to the briefing room. We need to give you some introductions and a briefing."

Soon, they left for the briefing room.

(Briefing room - 0707 hrs.)

The Spirits and the boys were sitting down when an officer came inside. He then began the briefing.

"Alright, let's start the briefing. My name is Eugene Solano and I'll keep you up with current events. This operation will be a training exercise aimed to get Shido Itsuka and the Spirits be prepared for combat. You'll be training at Area Z2K, a controlled Aurelian airspace. There are drones that will be taken out by different means, so be familiar with the weapons that you will use. During the mission, my callsign is 'Crux'. There will be updates if any, so pay attention to your radio. Dismissed."

After that, they prepared for a discussion regarding some guidelines.

(Flight apron - 0750 hrs.)

At the flight apron, Shido went to the plane in full combat gear with the two Spirits following him. The plane he will be flying is an F-4E Phantom II, an old-but-capable plane featuring a gray paint scheme similar to the ones used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Just then, Tonomachi came.

"You're here, captain." Origami said. "Shido is ready."

"Captain, what are you going to do?" Shido asked.

"I'll be acting as your WSO, weapon systems officer." Tonomachi replied. "I was trained to do that so that I can teach rookie pilots."

"That's great. Thanks to giving me some help."

"My pleasure." The two boys then entered the cockpit and Tohka came to the access ladder to say something to Shido.

"Be careful." Tohka said to him.

"I will." He replied and he gave her a gentle pat on the head, which made her smile.

Shortly after, she left to join with Origami and the canopy closes. The plane then taxied to the runway. It then plowed through and it lifted off to the skies to the training area. The Spirits then followed closely.

(Area Z2K - 0835 hrs.)

They approached the controlled airspace where Shido's training will take place.

"Crux to Gryphus Squadron." Eugene radioed them. "You are approaching Area Z2K. Maintain current course."

"Roger, Crux." Tonomachi replied. "Approaching Area Z2K. Shido, you're good there?"

"Yeah." Shido said. "Nothing's wrong, captain."

"Looks like you got the hang of flying a fighter jet, at least. Don't screw this up."

"Captain, Shido is fine." Tohka told him. "He wouldn't do anything wrong."

"Don't worry. He wouldn't."

"Shido, good luck." Origami cheered him.

Then, they noticed some radar blips.

"Tally ho on the drones." Shido reported.

"All right, then." Tonomachi agreed. "Let's go hunting."

The UAVs that Shido and the Spirits will encounter are converted old F-16 Fighting Falcons. They were chosen because of their maneuverability, thereby giving the trainees an almost realistic feel of combat. Both sides began to break off formation to engage each other.

"Shido, let's practice using your missiles." Tonomachi suggested. "Those drones have manuverability that can shake the missiles off. So watch your enemy closely."

"Yes, captain."

He got within firing distance of a drone and begins to arm his AIM-9 Sidewinders. As soo as he got a tone, he pressed the trigger.

"Fox 2!" He shouted and the missile flies to the target. The drone turned and the missile missed.

"No hit, Itsuka." Tonomachi said. "Try using what I said."

"I got it."

He then followed the drone closely and examined its movements. When the drone began to ease up, he fired the missile.

"Fox 2!" The missile, this time, hit the drone and shot it down.

"I got it!" Shido shouted with joy. "I got it!"

"Wooohooo!" Tohka followed.

"Nice work, Shido." Origami congratulated him.

"One UAV down." Eugene confirmed. "Continue with the exercise."

"Good." Tonomachi said to Shido. "Now we move on to the gun. It is essential to have it with you at all times. Running out of missiles doesn't mean that you can no longer fight."

"I'm on it." Shido said and proceeded to arm the cannon.

"Now remember, it is an unguided weapon." Tonomachi explained. "It doesn't lock on to the target. You have to manually aim it."

"Got it." Shido replied.

Once the cannon is armed, he began to aim for another drone.

"Firing guns!" Shido shouted as he pulled the trigger. The drone was riddled with bullets and it exploded. Another drone showed up shortly after, then Shido took care of that as well.

"Two drones down." Tonomachi confirmed. "You're getting good at this."

"Thank you, captain." Shido replied.

"Now. For Tohka and Origami." Tonomachi then turned his attention to the two girls. "You two."

"Yes, cap?" Tohka asked.

"We reserved a number of drones for you to take out. Show me what you got."

"On it." She complied.

"Will do." Origami followed.

The drones then appeared and the Spirits began to engage them while Shido and Tonomachi stayed put. As Origami closes in on two of the drones, her angel , Metatron, began to transform into one of its formations.

"...Artelif!"

The pillars then pointed towards the drones and a beam of light was released. The drones were vaporized in an instant.

"What the hell?!" Tonomachi shouted. "That thing is too powerful!"

"I apologize, captain." Origami said. "It is a safer to do that since two of the other formations are too risky.

"Alright." He said while beginning to calm down. "Just continue for now. Don't use that while in a populated area. Got it?"

"Copy, sir."

Tohka then proceeded to chase on two more drones. She then proceeded to launch an energy blast using her hands to take them out.

"Now that is much safer than THAT beam Origami shot out." Tonomachi said. "Tohka, nice work."

"Thank you very much, cap." Tohka replied with joy.

"Now it's our turn, Shido."

"Copy." Shido complied.

They boys then joined the fray as they continued to shoot down more drones. Once there are no more, they felt relieved.

"All UAVs destroyed." Crux confirmed.

"Whew!" Tohka said. "That was fun!"

"Indeed it is." Tonomachi followed. "Let's go home."

Just then, unknowns showed up on the radar.

"Hold on, cap." Shido told them. "Crux, do we any other flights on the radar."

"Negative, Itsuka." Crux replied. "No flights at this time."

"Then it must be..."

Suddenly, a missile alarm was sounded off.

"Shido, evade!" Tonomachi ordered. "Evade!"

The plane evaded the missiles and then, the girls noticed something. A flight of 11 F-35C Lightning IIs was flying below the radar coverage.

"Captain, multiple bandits in the air!" Origami reported. "Requesting permission to engage!"

"Affirmative! Get those guys!"

"What's going on?!" Shido asked.

"The bandits are shooting us! Welcome to actual air combat, Shido!"

Tonomachi then contacted Crux.

"Tonomachi to Crux, we have multiple bandits attacking!"

"Take them down!" Crux gave the O.K. "You are cleared to engage!"

"You heard him! Engage!"

"Copy!" Shido and the Spirits then broke off to engage the stealth fighters.

"One Phantom and two Spirits in my sights." The enemy pilot reported.

"Watch it!" Another warned. "That's Nemesis."

"His flight patterns are different." The third reported. "Is he a rookie again?"

"Not like the ace we knew. Be careful."

Shido then proceeded to engage one of the Lightnings in a dogfight. Shido armed his missiles at the plane and fired it.

"Fox 2! Fox 2!" The missile missed.

"Dangit!" He said in disgust.

"Those flight patterns are different." Tonomachi observed. "Could they be..."

Shido then resorted to his cannon and fired it. He shot down the plane.

"My plane's been Swiss-cheesed!" The enemy pilot panicked.

"I got him, cap!" Shido confirmed.

"Nice work, but we got more bandits in the air!" Shido then turned to find another target.

Tohka and Origami then used their angels to take out more fighters. It was quite difficult for them to shoot down due to their enemy's skill and they managed to evade their attacks.

"Fox 2!" The missile missed.

"Dammit! Who are they?!"

"Those are the Spirits! Be careful!"

The enemies then used a combination of cannon fire and missile barrages to try to take out the Aurelian adversaries while evading their fire as well. The latter, however, became defiant.

"Whatever you do, keep fighting!" Tonomachi reminded them.

Just then, a Lightning showed up on the Phantom's rear. He fired the cannon, but Shido dived to evade. A chase then ensued and the enemy tried to shoot the boys down.

"C'mon!"

Shido then decided to let Tohka case the pilot so that he can have a shot at him.

"Tohka, need help!" Shido pleaded.

"Don't worry, Shido!" Tohka came to his aid and managed to get the plane to back off. When Shido got a lock, he pulled the trigger.

"Seirei, Fox 2!"

The missile flew towards the plane and it hit it hard. The plane then dived to its desrtruction.

"All stealth fighters down." Crux said. "Looks like we got them."

"Whew!" Shido said in relief. "That was close."

"No kidding." Origami responded. "Those guys are serious."

"I'm glad that we are okay." Tohka radioed. "I wonder what would happen have we let our guard down."

"Yeah, and I think I have the answer."

"Who do you think is responsible?" Shido asked. Tonomachi took a moment of silence before giving out the answer.

"...Belkans."

(Briefing room, Phuku Lagolla Air Base - 1001 hrs.)

When the team returned, Eugene began the debriefing.

"This is believed to be an ambush carried out by unknown operatives from the Principality of Belka. We still have to determine why they attacked you and what motives they have. Currently, Belka denied any wrongdoing. For now, get some rest."

(Hangar A - 1020 hrs.)

Shido and Tonomachi were sitting in a bench wondering about the day's events. The Spirits were talking about another topic.

"This happened before." Shido told Tonomachi.

"What?" He asked. "You mean something happened like this in your world?"

"Yeah. Years ago, I met Tohka in the city center when she was wary of any human that could attack her. Thanks to my little sister, I managed to get her out of this situation and she lived a normal life ever since."

"I see."

"Why not you tell me and who exactly are the Belkans?"

"Alright, I'll tell you."

Tonomachi then begins his explanation on Belka.

"Belka is a nation found on the northeast of the Osean Federation. They were renowned for their air force, which produces many fine pilots and ace squadrons thanks to their training and strategy. Years ago, the nation invaded its neightbors in the Belkan War, after years of economic downturn, which saw many of their lands seceded to become independent nations. And in one of them is a pilot who spread fear and admiration."

"Who do you think the pilot is?" Shido asked.

"They called him 'The Demon Lord of the Round Table' since he shot down many ace squadrons in Area B7R."

"Whoa. No wonder."

Just then, Tohka called Shido.

"Shido? Let's go! I'm hungry!"

"If she doesn't eat, she may scare people!" Origami said jokingly.

"Alright, I'm coming!" Shido replied and turned his attention to Tonomachi. "We'll talk later sometime, okay?"

"Okay." Tonomachi agreed. "I will."

"See ya, captain." Shido said and he ran to meet with Tohka and Origami.

(Itsuka residence)

Miku Izayoi was heading for Itsuka's home to drop a love letter.

"I wonder how would Darling react when I gave this love letter to him." She said in her mind using the nickname she called to Shido. "This is gonna be great!"

When she reached the door of the house, she knocked.

"Hello, Darling? Are you home?"

When she received no response, she banged it harder.

"Itsuka! It's me, Miku!"

She then wondered where is Shido.

"Hmmm...maybe he went somewhere but what was he doing?"

She then left after leaving the letter inside a mailbox.

 _A/N: Chapter 2 is done, and Shido, Tohka and Origami saw their first taste of Belkan fighting skill. That would be a problem for them._

 _For the next chapters, the team will travel around Strangereal to explore new countries and find who is responsible for the spacequakes._

 _This is paomayo, over and out._


	3. Chapter 3 - Keynote

(Near the border of Emmeria and Estovakia - March 16, 2022, 0154 hrs.)

In the border, a guard post was active for a routine night patrol. As some of the soldiers moved back and forth, two of them were drinking hot chocolate to warm themselves from the cold temperatures.

"Sure is quiet tonight." One soldier said. "After that, I'm going to take a break for a week."

"Yeah." Another responded. "The Stovies aren't a threat anymore thought. All they did was doing rebuilding efforts for the past 6 years."

"Thanks to our generous aid donations. Maybe I may pay a little visit there."

"Hehehe. Maybe is one thing." The second soldier replied before drinking his hot chocolate. "Hummmhmm. That's a nice cup of coco."

"I'll drink up before I'll continue the patrol." The first drinked before leaving to check outside.

"Try not to stay out too long!" The second shouted an advice.

As the armed soldier walked along the fence, he noticed an unusual spout not far from his position.

"What the hell?" He murmured.

Just then, it turned into a purple sphere, forcing him to duck and take cover. The sphere then expanded briefly before dissipating. This alerted the nearby patrol units and he radioed to report the situation.

"This is Sgt. Baker, I need backup at Sector 9!"

The soldiers then closed in on Baker's position to assist him. When they saw the crater, they armed their weapons.

"Unidentified intruder, you are trespassing on restricted Emmerian grounds!" The commander ordered the intruder. "Stand down immediately or we will deem you as hostile!"

Just then, the intruder began to hover.

"Open fire!" The soldiers opened fire but the intruder was unharmed due to a barrier surrounding the user.

"What the...?" One of the soldiers murmured.

Just then, the intruder launched an attack using an energy charge.

"UUUUAHHH!"

This made the soldiers be pushed backwards, rendering some unconscious. Two soldiers were unaffected by the attack as they ducked just in time. Baker and his colleague watched as the intruder flew away.

"Are you okay?" A patrolling Estovakian soldier asked them as the soldiers from the other side began to offer help. "We're coming to assist you!"

"We're in need of medics here!" Baker's friend replied. "Thanks for the assistance!"

"No problem!" When the Estovakians came to help the able Emmerians carry their wounded, Baker stood up and stared at the crater.

"No more one-week vacation for me this time." Baker said with a surprised expression.

(Department of National Safety, Gracemeria, Republic of Emmeria - 0215 hrs.)

Word of the unexpected attack spread throughout the Republic of Emmeria Armed Forces as they scrambled to figure out what is going on.

"This is outrageous!" General Stamford Williams said in disgust. "This has to be a terrorist attack!"

"Sir, currently we don't have any information on why it happened." Colonel James Isley responded. "Estovakia has denied wrongdoing as of 0210 hrs. and we have no reports of unusual movements within their side. It might be a terrorist attack as you believed."

"Well, can you try to figure it out a little more?"

"We'll try, sir. We're scrambling to figure it out right now."

"Good." Williams agreed. "I want this incident to be classified and send the report to any concerned country, Osea, Aurelia, whatever as soon as possible."

"Yes sir." Isley saluted and left to send the reports.

Just then, an officer came to Williams.

"Sir, I am Darwin MgGuire from the defense diplomacy mission to Aurelia." He introduced himself before giving him an offer. "If I may, I might give you what you are looking for."

"Go ahead." Williams agreed.

"Follow me." The two then went to a vacant room.

"So what's the update?"

"Sir, from what we know from the three young people who suddenly appeared in our world, they said that a phenomenon known as a 'spacequake' was the cause of the attack in our border." McGuire explained. "According to them, it also signals the arrival of certain species called 'Spirits'."

"You're sure?" Williams asked.

"Yes sir. We also received information from Osea that some Belkan operatives are running a weapons program as we speak and a squadron of fighters had recently launched a sneak attack in Aurelian airspace."

"Oh my!" Williams said in shock. "We need more info on what they are up to."

"Yes, sir." McGuire then left the room.

(Griswall, Federal Republic of Aurelia - 1302 hrs.)

Shido and Tohka were walking in a street after buying some ice cream from a well-known brand from Emmeria.

"Man, that ice cream is good!" Tohka expressed her opinion while eating. "It feels like snow is touching me!"

"Yeah, there is something special about it." Shido followed while feeling homesick.

"Huh, what's wrong?"

"It's just that we are pulled to this world suddenly without any warning. I missed my friends, allies, even Kotori." This changed Tohka's mood.

"Me too. I do missed them." Shido then began to show a confident mood and began to hold Tohka's hands.

"Don't worry." Shido assured her. "We'll be back home."

This made Tohka happy. As if on cue, Origami arrived while wearing a sun hat.

"I see that you too are feeling homesick." Origami observed. "Well, so do I."

"I know how you feel." Shido replied. "Let's just stay together."

"Yeah. We will."

Then, Origami shifted to tell Shido and Tohka what happened in Anea.

"Listen, Tonomachi is waiting for us." Origami explained quietly. "The Aurelians had just received a disturbing report that a spacequake has appeared at exactly 0157 hrs. local time."

"Alright." Shido agreed. "Tohka?"

"Yeah." She followed. "Let's go."

The trio then began to move to Phuku Lagolla.

(Phuku Lagolla Air Base - 1332 hrs.)

When they arrived at the base, Captain Tonomachi was waiting outside.

"Glad you made it you three." He greeted them. "Now, we need to move."

"You have more info on what happened?" Shido asked.

"Yes, I do. Just follow me."

When they arrived at the conference room, they found some folders marked 'classified' before they sat down.

"So, the Emmerians experienced a spacequake?" Origami asked.

"They did." Tonomachi replied. "Due to the location of where it happened, near a border to be exact, a small stand-off is currently happening between Emmeria and Estovakia. But I'm sure thay they will reach an understanding in a short while."

"Good." Shido said in relief. "No more war to worry about."

"Yeah, especially after the last war they fought 6 years ago." Tonomachi continued while referencing the Emmerian-Estovakian War.

"That means we will be going there to check it out." Tohka expressed some excitement.

"We will be."

"Yahooo!"

"Now who's excited for a vacation?" Origami jokingly expressed her opinion.

(Gracemeria, Republic of Emmeria - March 18, 2022 0902 hrs.)

The team arrived in Gracemeria as Shido and Tonomachi were flying their jet fighters while Tohka and Origami were riding in a C-17A Globemaster III. What Shido is flying is an F-16C Fighting Falcon while Gryphus One is flying his usual F-22A Raptor, both adorned with the emblem of the 'Southern Cross'. The girls then got out of the plane to meet up with the boys. Tohka and Origami was awed by the sights of the city

"Wow!" Tohka expressed his amazement. "It's beautiful."

"Sure is." Origami followed. "It has some rich culture there. Even a long bridge dotted the landscape."

"Indeed it has." Tonomachi radioed them. "The capital has a lot of interesting attractions Gracemeria is known for. The Golden King, King's Bridge and my personal favorite, the old Gracemeria Castle."

"That reminds me, captain." Shido told Tonomachi. "There is also a city in our world that has equal popularity and it looks similar to the capital."

"Well then, what is the name of the city?"

"New York, sir." Shido gave his answer.

"Nice name." Tonomachi agreed. "Any attractions there?"

"Yes it has. There is Broadway, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Central Park, among others."

"How I wish I could visit there."

"Maybe."

Tonomachi then reminded the others of their arrival.

"We'll be approaching Gracemeria Air Force Base shortly. Be ready."

(Gracemeria Air Force Base - 0914 hrs.)

The Gryphus Squadron and the Spirits arrived at the base's airspace. The planes then lined up for a landing.

"This is the Gryphus Squadron of the Aurelian Air Force, requesting permission to land." Tonomachi told the tower.

"Affirmative Gryphus Squadron." The tower agreed. "You are cleared to land."

"Roger, control." Then the planes touched down, followed by the Spirits. When they taxied to the flight apron, the boys went outside to meet with the girls.

"Everyone, we're here in Emmeria." Tonomachi announced. "Crux will be here in a short while so we have to wait inside."

"Affirmative, sir." Origami responded. "Shido? Tohka?"

"Yeah" Shido replied.

"Okay." Tohka followed.

They entered the base headquarters to meet up with the officers of the REAF for a discussion regarding the events that plagued the continent.

"It's nice to meet you people." General William greeted them. "We have details on what happened in the border. Follow me."

They walked towards a conference room to discuss the situation.

"We are in a situation here." Williams explained. "The spacequake that recently attacked the border has put Emmeria and Estovakia under high alert."

"You heard about the spacequake, right?" Shido asked.

"Yes, we did. That's why we brought you here, to investigate what is going on."

"If that's the case, we are here to take care of the Spirit." Tohka said.

"Good. We're counting on you."

While the three we're talking, Tonomachi began to get Origami's attention.

"You sure you three can do this?" Tonomachi asked her.

"Yes, captain." She replied. "To tell the truth, me and Tohka are Spirits ourselves. Shido came and help us get out of the situation where power can put us in an almost uncontrollable state."

"I see." He agreed. "No wonder you were able to fly and take out the drones without any aircraft or other form of firearms."

Just then, an alarm was sounded. This surprised everyone

"What was that?" Williams murmured before reaching the intercom.

"I need a sitrep!"

"Sir, we detected an energy ball 5 miles north of Gracemeria!" The command center reported. "It's dissipating now!"

"Shido?" Tonomachi asked.

"Yeah!" He replied. "Let's go!"

They ran to their planes which surprised Williams.

"Hey! We're are you going?" He asked them.

"We'll take care of that sir!" Shido answered. "Don't let the army get close to the site!"

"Uh, alright."

(Gracemeria, - 0931 hrs.)

Minutes later, they were up in the air heading for the suspected site. Just then, Crux radioed the team.

"Gryphus Squadron, can you read me? This is Crux."

"Yes, Crux." Tonomachi replied. "Glad you made it here just in time."

"Roger." Eugene responded. "We already received information of what is going on. Approach the site and take care of the threat."

When they approached the area, they were surprised to see how little damage the spacequake inflicted.

"Whoa." Origami expressed her thoughts. "That little damage? I was surprised by how the spacequake wasn't that powerful."

"Looks like." Tohka followed her opinion. "Luckily it was away from the buildings over there."

"Yeah. Luckily for them."

"Alrighy, guys." Shido informed the team. "Remember, we're dealing with the Spirit peacefully."

"Lead the way, Shido." Tonomachi said and they flew close to see the crater.

As they approached, the found a figure flying above the site. Shido then quickly identified the target.

"Tally ho on a Spirit at bearing 032." Shido confirmed before checking her appearance. "That's not the one we saw before we are dragged here."

"Roger." Tonomachi agreed. "Anyway, just show me how you deal with the Spirit."

"Copy."

The team then got close to the Spirit, who is a girl around her late teens and wearing a blue Astral Dress modeled after a ball gown with some yellow outlines.

"Are they here to hurt me?" The young Spirit asked in her mind. Suddenly, she saw a pilot with the bird emblem taking off his visor and began to wave at her.

"No. He's not." She then heard a voice.

"Hey!" A lady wearing purple armor shouted. "We're here to help!"

"You...you are like me!"

"It's okay!" Another said while wearing what looked like a wedding dress and a crown. "Don't worry!"

The Spirit then got close to the young girl. She was initially afraid, but then, the white Spirit gave her an intercom on her right ear. Another voice was heard. This time, it was from a male.

"Can you hear me?" He asked.

"Yes." She said. "I can."

"Good. Listen, we're here to save you. My name is Shido Itsuka of the Aurelian Air Force and I am the pilot that waved at you earlier."

"Thank you for your kindness." She expressed her gratitude, which made Shido remind himself of someone he knew back home.

"Umm, Gryphus 7?" Tonomachi asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, captain." Shido replied. "It's just that it reminds me of someone back home."

"Ah, okay. I understand." He then radioed Crux.

"Gryphus One to Crux, Spirit is non-hostile." He reported. "I repeat. Non-hostile."

"Aknowledged." Crux replied. "Bring her home."

Just then, Eight blips appeared on the radar.

"Hold on. Eight blips appeared, 20 miles northeast of Gracemeria bearing 052. I'm also picking up encrypted transmission from the bogeys."

"Patch us through." Origami requested. When they began to hear the transmission, they were surprised.

"Volgel 1 to all craft, engage Nemesis and his wingman at high altitude." The pilot ordered. "I want the Bandersnatch to get the Spirit alive."

"Volgel 3, roger." Another pilot responded before Tonomachi and his friends identified their enemies.

"Belkans again." Tonomachi said in disgust. "And what did they mean of 'Bandersnatch'?"

Just then, four Su-33 Flanker-Ds and four robots appeared from the northeast.

"They're here." Shido said. "Let's engage them."

"Copy." Tonomachi agreed. "Tohka, Origami. Take care of the robots while we keep the Spirit safe. The two of us will engage the fighters."

"Affirmative, captain." Origami responded.

"You got it, cap." Tohka followed before the Spirits broke off.

When the Spirits saw the robots, the Spirits felt as if something looks familiar.

"Those robots looked familiar." Origami said to Tohka. "Be careful."

"Yeah. Keep the girl safe and everything will be fine."

Origami attacked first which causes the robots to fall farther out of Gracemeria. The Spirits then touched the ground for a ground fight.

"...Sandalphon!" Tohka then tapped the ground to reveal a throne beside her, which houses her Angel. She took it out and began to resume attacking.

Back in the sky, the Gryphus Squadron was engaging a flight of Belkan fighters.

"Fox 2!" Tonomachi shouted after firing a missile, but it missed.

"Dammit! I can't hit him! Moving to another position!"

"Volgel 2, Fox 2!" A Belkan pilot fired his missile aimed at Shido but it missed as well.

"You're not taking us down today." Shido barked while doing some hard maneuvering.

"This is guy is good." Another Belkan was impressed. "But he needs to learn more."

They continued the fight in the air as air raid sirens sounded off minutes earlier, which alerted Gracemeria Air Force Base.

"Firing guns!" Shido shouted before destroying a Belkan Flanker with his gun.

"We lost one." The Belkan leader confirmed. "Continue fighting. Forget about the loss."

At the ground, Tohka and Origami were holding their ground as the robots keep on launching attacks.

"Those robots are still holding out!" Origami said. "Tohka, aim for their cores!"

"Got it!" Tohka complied and began to slash the body of the robot with her Angel.

"Nice work. There's three more."

The girls then continued attacking with Origami using her Angel Metatron on a second robot. It exploded by Artelif's beam before they proceeded to take out another one. Shortly after, they were confused because of the numbers.

"Where's is the fourth one?" Tohka asked.

"Don't know." Origami replied. "Something's not right."

Just then, they heard a scream.

"HELP, HELP!"

The duo then saw the last Bandersnatch fleeing with the captive young Spirit.

"Let's go!" The two then pursued the robot before catching up with it.

"Careful with her!" Origami told Tohka. "Let me take it out! Get the girl out of here!"

"On it!" Tohka then carefully shot one of the robot's joints before getting the young Spirit out of captivity.

"...Kadour!"

The pillars that make up Origami's Angel then moved in different directions, piercing the robots armour before exploding.

"Whew." Tohka and the Spirit expressed relief.

"Finally." Origami followed as well. "Let's go help Shido and Tonomachi."

Back at the dogfight, the Belkan's were down to only two planes as Tonomachi took out the second.

"Shido, take that guy." Tonomachi ordered Shido.

"Roger, cap." Shido complied before splitting up to engage the fighters.

Tonomachi followed the Flanker closely in a close-range assault. The Belkan then pulled a Cobra to chase after Tonomachi but he made a tight spin to get back to the chase. He fired the gun before the Belkan plane succumble to damage.

"Enemy down!" Tonomachi confirmed.

"Almost on him." Shido reported before arming his missile.

"Fox 2!" The missile hit the plane and it burst into flames. The leader then bailed.

"Enemy down, but the pilot just bailed." Shido confirmed.

"No need to worry." Tonomachi assured. "At least that guy is no longer a threat. Let's regroup."

The Spirits then formed up with the planes shortly after.

"Captain, the robots are gone and the Spirit is safe." Tohka reported.

"Thank you." Tonomachi said in relied. "Glad she's fine."

"Gryphus Squadron to Crux, all enemies destroyed." Shido radioed Eugene.

"Affirmative, Gryphus 7." He responded. "All units, cleared to return home."

A radio transmission was then picked up. They then saw three F-16C Fighting Falcons adorned with black vertical stabilizers and a red bird emblem in the white diamond.

"Gryphus Squadron, can you hear me?" A pilot from the REAF asked.

"This is the Gryphus Squadron, we're fine." Tonomachi responded.

"Good. You people are good today. And by the way, I'm Commander Daniel Pollini from the Republic of Emmeria Air Force, 15th Figher Squadron, Windhovers."

"Roger. Thanks for that." The Gryphus and Windhover Squadrons then proceed to return home.

Just then, the Spirit radioed Shido and his friends.

"Itsuka? everyone? I would like to say thank you for saving me." She said with gratitude.

"No problem." Shido replied. "What is your name?"

"Isolde...Victoria Isolde."

"That's a nice name." Shido smiled before Victoria did the same.

"Shido, those robots..." The captain tried to tell him.

"Yeah. I think I know who's supplying the Belkans with these tech." Shido replied before they continued their trip home.

 _A/N: Okay, so the Belkan terrorists has some mechs at its disposal to hunt Spirits. By the way, Pollini came for a minor appearance as the responding force._

 _Anyway, expect more from this fanfic later on. See ya._


	4. Chapter 4 - Snowbird (Part 1)

(Gracemeria, Republic of Emmeria - March 19 2022, 1002 hrs.)

In a café, Shido was having a morning snack which includes a cup of coffee and some croissants. He was just wondering about yesterday's engagement with the Belkans who had a couple of Bandersnatch units with them. He then believed that a former enemy back home supplied them with these units and somehow sold the plans to the Belkans. A waiter then arrived to deliver the blueberry cheesecake for Tohka, who was checking the other stores near the café.

"Is there anything wrong, sir?" The waiter asked.

"Uh, nothing." Shido replied. "Just thinking about yesterday."

"Anyway, here's the blueberry cheesecake." She then put it on the table.

"Thank you." Shido thanked her and the waiter left after bowing as if she was saying 'you're welcome'. Just then an old man with a newspaper got his attention.

"You probably heard about the stories of the achievements of the aces, right?" He asked.

"Yeah." Shido responded. "I heard from a colleague about the story of the Demon Lord."

"You know him, right? That guy was both a demon and a hero."

"What do you mean by 'both a demon and a hero'?" The old man began to explain further.

"Back then, many Belkans and a few foreigners feared him due to his actions, yet some also admired his skills. There is also a sense of connection between him and his wingman."

"Huh?" Shido was confused regarding the wingman so the old man began to tell the story between the two pilots.

"They first met in a snowy mountain in the country of Ustio. At that time, it was their first mission. Belkan bombers attempted to destroy Ustio's last safe haven after the Belkans overran almost all of Ustio early in the war. It was a failure for Belka and that starts the two pilots' friendship. For the next few months, they fought together liberating Ustio and dealing heavy losses to Belka, until something bad happened. In the last days of the war, the Demon Lord's wingman left him for dead after Belka detonated seven nuclear weapons that rocked the world."

"Seven nuclear explosions?!" Shido asked in shock. "Where?!"

"In their own soil." The elder answered. "Twelve thousand innocent Belkan voices silenced by the power of their own weapons."

"Hold on here!" Shido continued. "This isn't right! If Belka used their weapons in their own soil, that would mean that they are taking a dangerous gamble to protect themselves!"

"That is not right at all. Shortly after, the coalition fighting Belka suddenly lost the will to keep pushing through the country. Ironically, Belka lost after a peace treaty was signed."

"I see." Shido said with some sadness before moving on to the story of the duo. "Anyway, what happened to the wingman?"

"That's a good question, young aviator. His wingman reappeared on New Year's Eve, this time, to fight his former friend in a heated dogfight. The Demon Lord prevailed and his former wingman was forced to accept defeat. But then, ten years later, reconciliation happened."

"He apologized?"

"Somewhat, but yet again, he wants to see his old friend again. So their rivalry didn't end badly."

"Good to hear from you." Shido replied. "Thank you for sharing me this story."

"You're welcome." Suddenly, a girl began to call Shido.

"Shido!" He recognized the voice as belonging to Tohka.

"Over here, Tohka!" Shido replied.

"We'll continue this sometime when we meet again." The old man assured Shido and the latter nodded. Then, Tohka approached Shido.

"What are you talking about with someone?" She asked.

"Just a war story he told me." Shido replied and the old man winked at him when Shido saw him. "Anyway, what's going on?"

"I found some food shops while I was looking at the clothing stores nearby."

"What?! You wanted more?! I still have your cheesecake right here!"

"Well, I am just fascinated by what they have here."

Shido then calmed himself down.

"Never mind that." Shido said to Tohka and she sat down. "Anyway, just eat the cheesecake."

"Alright." Tohka then took her fork and got a piece of the cake. When she put it in her mouth, she began to like it.

"Is the cheesecake alright?" Shido asked her.

"Alright? I liked it!" Tohka replied while she continued eating the cheesecake.

"Hey, hey! Just slow down a little." Shido reminded her and she slowly began to chew.

"How about like this?"

"That's fine.

Meanwhile, at a nearby newsstand, Origami was reading a newspaper she just purchased. In an article from the World Times newspaper entitled 'Unexpected Attack Hits Gracemeria!', it also reported sightings of strange lights north of the city. To her, she knew that Origami herself and Tohka were the ones who caused the lights to appear in the daytime while saving Victoria from the Belkan Bandersnatch mechs.

"Those light shows don't usually show up in broad daylight these days." The newsstand owner commented.

"What do you mean?" Origami asked.

"Well, during the last twenty-seven years, some countries used very overpowered weaponry to try to take out their attackers." He explained.

"And they failed badly, I presume?"

"Yes they did. Look at them! Much of their hard-earned cash were lost the moment the superweapons were broken. Some countries ended up in shambles after the war. Dictators and fascists were also out of the picture the moment they lost. "

"That's harsh. I wonder if the people will get the aid they needed."

"That's the question. Those countries are still recovering as of now. We hope that they'll be back to normal in a few years time."

"Yeah. They will."

Just then, Victoria, who is wearing a normal dress, came to see Origami.

"Miss Tobiichi, how are you doing?" Victoria asked.

"I'm fine." Origami replied. "You looked cheerful today."

"Yes, I am. Thanks to you, I'm living comfortably." Origami nodded before reading the 'Science' section of the newspaper. When she noticed an article concerning the appearance of a crater in Osea similar to the one typically caused by spacequakes in their world, she began to call Shido.

"Is something wrong, Miss Tobiichi?" Victoria asked.

"Possibly." Origami replied before calling Shido.

Shido and Tohka we're doing their business when the phone rang.

"Shido…"

"Yeah. I'm answering it." He then got the phone and found out that Origami is calling.

"Hey, Origami." Shido answered.

"Shido, listen." Origami told him. "We may have to move now."

"Is it another spacequake?"

"Likely. A newspaper reported it and it is in Osea. We haven't receive any news of our deployment for that. I think they are still checking."

"Alright, we'll be there." Shido accepted.

"Good." Origami concluded. "See you later."

The phone hung up and Shido and Tohka left for Gracemeria Air Force Base to regroup with Captain Tonomachi.

(Spirit Manor)

The former Spirits that Shido sealed years were worried that Shido, Tohka and Origami didn't return home. Among them is Yoshino, the kindest Spirit Shido met that holds the mischievous puppet Yoshinon.

"I hope they return home safely." Yoshino muttered. "I'm getting worried right now."

"Don't worry, Yoshino." Yoshinon assured her. "Maybe they're having something important to do outside. It's normal for them."

"Yeah. You maybe right." Just then, a lady with ash grey hair and a jacket arrived. It was Nia Honjou, the manga artist.

"Do you found them?" Yoshino asked her.

"No, not yet." Nia answered. "I couldn't find them. Not even Rasiel is unable to do the same."

"So what did it found?"

"Well, it says that the three disappeared to some dimension after chasing a runaway Spirit." Nia explained. "That's all it could tell."

"What?"

"I'm sorry." Just then, Yoshino suddenly felt determined.

"No! We can't!"

"Yoshino…"

"We can't give up!" Yoshino declared. "We have to find them, Nia!"

This changed Nia's mood.

"Yeah, I think we should." Nia agreed.

"Yahooo! Another adventure to do right now!" Yoshinon shouts in excitement before arguement was heard outside.

"Careful where you point that thing, Yuzuru!" A girl barked. "The realm of heaven is watching us!"

"Rebuke. Just try to calm down for a while." Another responded in an unusual pattern. Nia opened the door to reveal the Yamai twins.

"Well, well, what's going on you two?" Nia asked them.

"Well, ummmm, you see…" Kaguya tried to explain before Yuzuru interrupted.

"Explanation. I was carrying this sharp scissor to do some trimming with the flowers outside." Yuzuru said her side of the story. "There are no compatible ones to use but this."

(Cape Landers, Osean Federation - March 20, 2022, 1732 hrs.)

The three Spirits and the two fighters continued flying to the targeted area when they saw the coast of the cape ahead of them. Crux was also monitoring their progress.

"Cape Landers at bearing 001, 40 miles." Crux reported. "All units, stay alert and good luck out there."

"Roger that, Crux." Tonomachi answered. "We're maintaining course."

After a short while, the coastline was within visual range.

"There it is people." Tonomachi announced. "Cape Landers."

"The coastline up ahead?" Victoria asked him.

"Yep. That's Cape Landers alright." Tonomachi then began to express his thoughts on bringing Victoria along.

"Itsuka, I think you're idea of tagging Victoria along is paying off."

"Thanks, captain." Shido replied. "Just doing what we have to."

"That's how his personality is whenever he helps someone, captain." Origami told him. "I know what he's doing is less risky. Without a secure location, Victoria would be in trouble."

"By the way, how's the robots?" Tohka asked. "Is it being studied?"

"They'll be sent to Aurelia for examination." Tonomachi replied. "At that point, we will determine the location for the refuge."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

When they entered the coast, they noticed the crater.

"There it is." Origami declared.

"Roger." Tonomachi replied. "Let's investigate."

The Spirits then went down to the crater and began to do the search.

"Seen anything?" Origami asked.

"Nothing unusual here." Tohka answered.

"Same here." Victoria followed.

"Just keep looking."

For a while, the crater was being examined. To relieve herself of boredom, Victoria asked Tohka about her life.

"Excuse me, Miss Yatogami? How do you feel between you and Mister Itsuka?"

"Well, I met him by chance before he gave me my name." Tohka explained. "After that, I was so fixed on him that I got angry whenever he dates with another Spirit. It wasn't until later on that he did that just to save the others and I was warming to him since then."

"So he dates only to save?"

"Yes." Tohka replied while she blushed. "I was expecting him to kiss me for every Spirit he saved. But for here, this has to wait."

Just then, Victoria spotted a small purple glow on the ground.

"Miss Yatogami! Miss Tobiichi!" Victoria shouted. "Over here!"

"What is it?" Origami asked Victoria as she ran to meet her and Tohka. "You found something?"

"Yes, ma'am. It looks like a purple glow."

"Then it has to be evidence of a spacequake." Tohka hoped as the girls then checked again closely.

"This has to be it." Origami agreed.

"You found something?" Tomomachi asked.

"Yes, sir. The crater is indeed from a spacequake."

"I'll contact the command about this." Tonomachi then proceeded to contact Crux.

"Gryphus One to Crux, crater is comfirmed as inflicted by spacequake."

"Roger that, Gryphus One." Crux answered. "We'll send a joint Osean-Aurelian research team over there to collect samples. All units, return to base."

Shido then began to wonder about something.

"Captain, I think the Spirit may have fled the scene but she may still be here." Shido expressed his thoughts.

"You sure of what you're thinking?" Tonomachi asked.

"Likely."

"That is a possibility." Origami agreed. "After all, she may not have run that far due to an injury."

"You too, Tobiichi?"

"Yes. We also found some drag marks and footprints on the ground, which would indicate that she is injured."

"If that's the case, let's find her." Tonomachi then radioed Crux again.

"Gryphus One to Crux, requesting permission for the squadron to loiter here." Tonomachi requested. "The Spirit may still be in our area."

"Aknowledged." Crux accepted. "Locate the Spirit and bring her home."

"Gryphus, roger that." He then began to contact his allies.

"Everyone, we have permission to start the search."

"Gryphus 7, roger." Shido complied.

"Princess, I copy." Tohka followed.

"Angel, roger." Origami then complied.

"I will." Victoria complied last.

The team then split up although the Spirits remained together for security reasons. While the planes searched in the air, the girls then followed the footprints to a nearby abandoned farm.

"Is this the place?" Victoria asked.

"Likely." Tohka answered. "Let's take a look."

"Right." Origami agreed. When they entered the barn, Origami illuminated the area with her light to see. As they searched, they heard some noises.

"Do you hear that?" Victoria asked the others.

"Light breathing." Origami observed. "Yep, there is some noise."

When they reached the last area they didn't explored, they found an unconscious girl wearing clothing that resembled a white kimono with some floral decorations imprinted. They were even surprised to see that she has some bruises.

"Let's get her out of here." Tohka suggested.

"Yeah." Origami agreed. "She shouldn't be out here in this conditon."

Origami then began to call the pilots.

"Angel to Gryphus Squadron, we found a girl. Likely the Spirit we are looking for."

"Copy." Tonomachi replied. "Wait. Hold on."

"What is it captain?"

"We spotted some planes on the radar." Tonomachi reported. "Looks like the sky over there is mixed with Osean and Belkan planes. Those guys sure are having a hard time finding her here."

"We'll bring the girl somewhere safe." Tohka radioed. "Just deal with the planes."

"Thanks for the idea, Princess. Shido?"

"I'm with you." Shido agreed. "Girls, get the Spirit home."

"We'll do." Tohka replied. "Be careful you two."

"We will." Shido and Tonomachi then proceeded to help the embattled Oseans.

 _A/N: Don't be surprised if this chapter is a little short for you. I might as well give you the battle in the next chapter. Also, Victoria's powers will be there as well._

 _Aside from this, who do you think the old man Shido met earlier is? Let me know._

 _See you later._


	5. Chapter 5 - Snowbird (Part 2)

(Cape Landers, Osean Federation - March 20, 2022, 1752 hrs.)

Shido and Tonomachi were heading further inland to help the Osean Air Defense Force pilots engage the Belkans that infiltrated the airspace. In the middle of the fight, a number of radio transmissions were heard.

"This is Warowl 3, I'm taking damage!" One of the Oseans panicked. "Ejecting!"

"Dammit, he's on my six!" Another shouted. "Evading!"

"Those Belkans are gonna kick our butts if we don't do something!" A third said in disbelief. "We need help!"

Tonomachi decided to contact them.

"Warowl, this is Captain Hiroto Tonomachi of the Aurelian Air Force, Gryphus Squadron. We're here to help."

"Thanks, captain!" He thanked. "My name is Captain Chihaya Itsuka of the 201st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Warowls."

"What?!" Shido exclaimed. "Don't tell me..."

"Hold on here...Itsuka?" Tonomachi asked Chihaya. "We have a pilot with that last name!"

"No time to talk about it. The Belkans are scratchin' us!"

"Uhh...right. Shido, break formation and engage the fighters."

"Copy, captain." Shido complied and he broke off to engage.

The Gryphus pilots then approached the combat area, where 5 Osean F-15C Eagles engage a squadron of 15 Belkan Su-47 Berkuts. They entered the fray and they began to fight.

"Two planes imbound." A Belkan said.

"Even Nemesis is with them." Another observed as well by looking at the tails. "All units, watch carefully. Those guys are good as what Leasath's pilots said."

The Belkans then began to carefully pick their targets and maneuver decisively as usual.

"Watch it, Osprey!" An Osean warned. "Enemy Berkut at your six!"

"Wha..." The plane was then hit by Belkan cannon fire. "I'm hit!"

"Get a grip, everyone!" Chihaya tried to keep their morale high. "We can't let them through!"

"I'm on this guy!" Shido radioed as he began to chase a Berkut in a game of tight turns. "Locked on!"

He then pulled the trigger of his gun.

"Firing gun!" The Berkut first trailed smoke before engulfing in flames.

"I got him!" He confirmed.

"Keep firing, guys!" Tonomachi urged them. "We can win this!"

"Yes, captain!" Chihaya agreed.

A Belkan then got a lock on an Osean plane.

"Pursuing bandit." He said.

"I'm spiked!" The Osean reacted and tried to evade.

"Hornisse 3, Fox 2." He fired the missile and the Osean maneuvered hard but it didn't work.

"I'm hit! Can't maintain course! I'm ejecting!" The pilot bailed narrowly escaping from the burning wreck.

"Warowl 4 is hit!" Warowl 2 reported. "We're down to two planes!"

"Hold on!" Tonomachi assured them.

"Switching to AMRAAMs!" Immediately after, Shido armed his AIM-120 AMRAAMs after fending off a few Belkan fighters. "Locked on!"

"Gryphus 7, Fox 3!" The AMRAAMs flew to their targets and scored direct hits.

"Control's unresponsive!" A Belkan pilot shouted. "Ejecting!"

"Deal with Nemesis!" The Belkan leader ordered.

"Roger." Most of the Belkans then direct their attention to the Gryphus planes.

"Engaging enemy." The Belkans made the planes engage in tight turns to either attack or evade.

"There after us, Shido." Tonomachi observed. "Let's kick 'em out."

"Roger, captain." The duo then began to engage as well which caught the curiosity of some Belkan pilots.

"That pilot's style..." A Belkan tried to describe Shido.

"...he fights like the Demon Lord." Another finished. "Is he a reincarnation of that guy?"

Meanwhile, Tohka, Origami and Victoria were carrying the unconscious Spirit to a nearby airbase west of Cape Landers.

"How's her condition?" Tohka asked Origami.

"She's stable." She answered. "However, we need to move fast. The Belkans may be following us."

"Uh, right." Just then, a unit of six Bandersnatch mechs arrived.

"Listen, I'll get the girl out of here." Origami suggested. "You two cover us."

"We'll do." Victoria agreed while Tohka nodded.

Tohka got the attention of three Bandersnatch units and lured them to a fight. To her surprise, they are more aggressive and heavily equipped.

"Those things are tougher than the last ones we saw!" She observed.

"You sure?" Victoria asked.

"Likely!" Origami answered. "There must be an airship with a Realizer in it."

They began to fight back using their angels in an effort to repel the attack. Victoria's angel takes on the form of a sabre.

"That's your weapon?" Tohka asked her.

"Yes, ma'am." Victoria replied. "That's my weapon."

"Then let's go!"

In the dogfight, the Belkans began to slowly lose their edge as their numbers began to lower for every plane they lost.

"They're punishing us!" A Belkan complained.

"Stay on target." The leader reminded them.

Shido fired an AIM-9 Sidewinder on an enemy. The missile missed. Meanwhile, Tonomachi aimed his gun at another Belkan. He fired it and the plane was burning.

"One plane down!" He confirmed.

"I have him on lock-on!" Chihaya said. "Warowl 1, Fox 2!"

The missile flew to the target and hit it on the tailpipe.

"Enemy down!" He confirmed.

A Belkan then got a lock on Tonomachi.

"Got him."

"I'm spiked!" Tonomachi said. "This is no good!"

He then performed evasive maneuvers to try to shake off the lock.

"Wespe 3, missile launched." The missile tried to stay on course to Tonomachi but he turned hard and the missile missed.

"You ain't getting me this time." He rebuked.

The Belkan got close to engage Tonomachi with his gun, but the latter pulled a Cobra to get behind him.

"I'm on him now." He fired the gun and the plane exploded.

"He's down!" Tonomachi confirmed.

Back at the Spirit fight, Tohka continued fighting the two mechs using her angel and she destroyed them after some time.

"Huff, huff...two down." She confirmed.

Victoria then faced off against another Bandersnatch. She made her angel lit on fire and tried to attack the powerful mech. While it tried to defend itself, it succumbled to damage Victoria inflicted.

"One down." She said. "Tohka?"

"Right." She replied. "On to the others."

"They found two more units. So Victoria made a fire vortex and engulfed the units inside before she and Tohka finished them off.

"One more." Victoria and Tohka then flew towards Origami and the Spirit, who are now evading the last Bandersnatch's attack.

"Hold on, you guys!" Tohka assured them.

"We're coming!" Victoria echoed.

They proceeded to fight the last unit in a showdown. However, to their surprise, the Bandersnatch didn't sustain heavy damage.

"How come it's still flying?!" Tohka asked in shock. Then the mech fired a laser at her.

"Hyaa! That's close!"

"We can't defeat it!" Victoria observed. "We have to distract it!"

Just then, the unconscious Spirit lowly opened her eyes to see the battle.

"Uh...wha..."

She then saw the two Spirits fighting the invincible unit. She raised her hand, which surprised Origami.

"Did she just..."

She fired a beam of ice at the unit, which froze almost instantly before the girl fell back asleep.

"Now's our chance!" Victoria confirmed.

The duo then combined their powers for a final blow to the distracted unit.

"HUUUUUUUAAAAAHHH!"

The unit took heavy damage before it exploded.

"We did it, Miss Yatogami!" Victoria cheered.

"Yeah...whew!" She sighed. "Let's regroup."

In the dogfight, the Belkans are down to one plane. Shido took the chance and fired his gun. The Belkan was shot down.

"Huff, huff, huff...that guy is done for." Shido sighed after confirming the kill.

"Nice work, Shido." Tonomachi congratulated. "Wait a minute. Hold on."

"What is it, cap?"

"Two bogeys at bearing 321. One of them is moving fast!"

When they saw the bogeys, an airship and a fast-moving craft was heading their way. The latter opened fired with its laser.

"Evade!" The planes break formation to try to counter the jet, a closed-cockpit aircraft with a woodland paint scheme.

"So you must be the boy who sealed the Spirits, are you?" The pilot asked Shido. "You have made a good reputation, you know."

"What?!" Shido reacted. "Who are you?!"

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Erich Greyhound from D.E.M. Industries."

"...D.E.M?"

"You know that guy, Shido?" Chihaya asked.

"No. But he's an employee for a company that tried to take over our world!"

"Let's engage him then!" Tonomachi said and the four planes then attempted to engage Erich in a 4-on-1 dogfight. The latter aimed his laser on Shido and fired a larger beam.

"Hya...! That's close!"

"Fox 2!" Erich fired a missile at Chihaya but the latter evaded just in time.

"He's too powerful!" Warowl 2 commented. "Be careful, guys!"

They tried to put a dent on Erich's plane but to no avail and he tried to shoot as well with lasers, missiles and cannons. Then, Shido thought of something.

"Captain, I'm going after the airship."

"You sure?" Tonomachi asked.

"Yeah." Shido agreed. "I think so."

"Be careful, Gryphus 7." Shido left to engage the airship.

When he got close, he was greeted by SAMs and AA guns from the ship. He didn't care even if Erich is chasing him and he proceeded to arm his last remaining missile.

"Fox 2!" He fired the shot directly at the core. It destroyed it and making the ship self-destruct.

Meanwhile, Erich noticed that his laser is losing power.

"So you took out the Realizer then, huh?" Erich mumbled. "Good thinking, Takamiya."

He then unexpectedly decided to withdraw from the fight.

"What the...where's he going?" Chihaya asked.

"Whatever it is, this won't be the last time we will see him." Tonomachi replied. "Shido, nice save back there."

"Thank you, sir." Shido then breathed easier.

"We would like to thank you for giving us a hand." Warowl 2 thanked the Gryphus Squadron. "Without you, we are definitely screwed."

"My pleasure." Tonomachi replied. "Anyway, the last name?"

"Ugh, right." Chihaya decided to continue. "About that..."

(15 hours later)

In a room, the rescued Spirit was recovering from her injuries.

"Wha...where am I?" She then saw three people, two girls and one man.

"You are in the hospital recovering from your injuries." Origami explained. "We rescued you in a barn 15 hours ago."

"But...I was just trying to run away from the bad people."

"Don't worry." Shido assured her. "You're safe."

"Thank you for rescuing me." She smiled as a sign of gratitude.

"You're welcome." Shido smiled back.

(Sand Island Air Force Base - March 21, 2022, 0903 hrs.)

At the recommissioned base, soldiers and personnel from a multitude of countries worked non-stop to prepare their forces for the fight against the renewed threat of the Belkan Grey Men. Osean personnel were assigned to train the pilots. Estovakians where then assigned to train half of the soldiers for ground operations while the Aurelians maintained the planes. As well, some Belkan officers were there to help the allies. Shido, Tohka, Origami, Victoria and Tonomachi then went outside for some fresh air.

"So the 'Grey Men' were behind the attacks?" Origami asked.

"Yes. They are a group of ultranationalist Belkans formed to launch a payback attack against Osea and Yuktobania." He answered. "They tried to make them fight each other; unfortunately, they failed after a small squadron of ace pilots foiled their plans."

"No wonder."

"They were called what again?" Shido asked Tonomachi to answer his question.

"The Ghosts of Razgriz." Tonomachi answered. "Also, the laser-armed plane we encountered yesterday is an ADF-01 FALKEN developed by the former Gründer Industries."

"I see. And D.E.M.'s former employee is in the controls."

"Anyway Shido, let's get some R and R at the beach." Tohka reminded Shido.

"You're right." Shido responded. "Captain, call us if were needed. I might as well think of the Itsuka family of this world while I'm there."

"I'll do." Tonomachi agreed. "You deserve it."

"Take care, Mister Tonomachi." Victoria said to him while waiving her hand.

(West Palmwood Beach - 1005 hrs.)

At the beach, Tohka and Origami were having fun playing volleyball.

"Better try harder, Origami!" Tohka intimidated her.

"You wish!" Origami responded.

While playing, Victoria was busy building a sandcastle.

"There." She sighed while gently patting the walls. "That should do."

Shido was busy preparing to swim when someone showed up. It was the old man from Gracemeria.

"Busy swimming, I see?" He asked Shido.

"Yeah." He replied. "Just need to rest ourselves for the missions ahead."

"Just try to study your opponent and you can seize the intiative to win." He advised. "No matter how powerful you're opponent is, he can't touch you."

"I appreciate it." Shido thanked him. "Thanks for the advice."

"You're welcome." Shido then swimmed to sea to cool himself down.

The old man then said something quietly in the wind.

"Buddy, there is someone like you now."

 **XXXXXXXX**

(27 years earlier)

(Valais Air Base, Republic of Ustio - April 20, 1995, 1050 hrs.)

On the flight apron, two men were heading for their planes to undertake a 'reconnaissance mission' in Area B7R, located in the Belka-Ustio border region. While walking, one of them decided to engage in a conversation.

"Hey buddy, what do you think of engaging in the Round Table for the first time?" He asked. "Normally a few people would come back without planes after some time there when they bailed out."

"I'm just a bit anxious about that mission, especially when the officer said of magnetic interference being present." Another with blue hair responded. "Maybe I'm not up to the job."

"Don't worry, Itsuka." His wingman assured him. "If a Belkan is on your tail, I'll take care of him."

"Thanks, Larry." Itsuka thanked him with a smile. "I appreciate it."

"That reminds me. You have someone expecting of your return in Emmeria, right?"

"Yeah. It's my girlfriend, a florist. She has a name you know."

"Okay then. I'm guessing that her name is...?" It took Larry a while before Itsuka decided to reveal the answer.

"...Tohka."

"Tohka? That's a nice name."

"Thanks for the complement." Itsuka agreed before they reached their planes. "Alright Larry, let's get the show on the road."

"Lead the way, buddy." The two then entered their planes adorned with the dog head emblem of the 6th Air Division, 66th Air Force Unit, Galm and began to take-off for their mission.

 **XXXXXXXX**

 _A/N: paomayo here, a new opponent is here to challenge Shido and Co. He'll be the main antagonist in the fanfic._

 _Coincidentally, the Zone of Endless tournament was announced in_ Ace Combat Infinity _at the same day I added the FALKEN._

 _Anyway, expect more action. See ya._


	6. Chapter 6 - Operation Guardian Angel

(Oured International Convention Center, Oured, Osean Federation - March 21, 2022, 1915 hrs.)

Outside of the convention center, news agencies from around the world converged to cover a conference regarding the status of the worldwide effort to protect the planet from the threat of 'destructive spheres', as what the locals called to a spacequake.

"We are live outside of the Oured International Convention Center covering the Inter-dimensional Defense Summit initiated by the governments of Aurelia, Osea and Yuktobania." The reporter from the Osean Broadcasting Corporation, Leia Rolando, said while on camera. "As you can see here, we are witnessing military officials, defense experts and scientists entering the area to discuss recent matters. Officials declined to comment at the moment but we have word that..."

She then got a call from another reporter inside the building.

"Uh, wait...hold on." She then began to announce the change of camera. "We have confirmation that defense secretary Miles Grover has appeared."

In the conference, various reporters began to take turns asking questions with Grover.

"In light of the B7R incident of January 2022, the entire global populace has been living with great uncertainty." One reporter from the Soyuz Broadcast News said. "Is it true that we are experiencing some astronomical phenomena?"

"I would decline to divulge details at the moment." Grover replied. "But, yes. We may be experiencing that."

"What would be the measures that will be utilized to protect people from those destructive spheres?" Another, this time from the Our Science magazine, asked. "The damage inflicted was just as large as some of the asteroids from the Ulysses collision."

"I would give one measure." He replied to his answer. "We are creating evacuation shelters designed to keep people safe while an event of that kind takes place. As for the others, I decline to divulge those details at this time."

"There is also one thing I would like to ask." The third, from GAZE, took her turn. "Recent sightings of Belkan aircraft and what appears to be unidentified flying objects have been reported by various civilians around Anea and in Cape Landers. What can you tell from these?"

"You see..."

In the city, newspapers were selling faster than they can be printed as civilians read the papers hoping that they are still safe. Some even went as far as to stock on food, medicine and, sometimes, even live ammunition.

(Sand Island Air Force Base)

At the base, Origami was watching the news covering the defense summit. She was slowly getting worried considering the situation gripping the planet. Just then, Captain Tonomachi came.

"Still watching the events closely, I see?" He asked her.

"Yes, captain." She replied. "I wouldn't be surprised. A lot of people are very concerned about the spacequakes right now. And the officials there are keeing some secrets from them."

"That's what the governments here act these days. If they see something shocking, they would keep most of the information classified from the public. They wouldn't want them to go running and screaming out in the streets."

"I see." She sighed before moving on to the status of the coalition forces. "Anyway, how are the armed forces?"

"We are preparing to launch for a possible deployement." He answered. "I don't know when and where but intelligence are gathering data as we speak."

"Thanks, sir." Just then, Shido came inside.

"Uh, Origami, Captain, is anything wrong here?" He asked while scratching his head.

"Nothing." Origami replied. "Not at all. Just looking at the news."

"Business as usual." Tonomachi followed. "The top brass is waiting for any reports."

"Thank you." Shido said in relief. "For a moment there, I thought you are mad about what happend with Tohka dropping a toolbox in the hangar."

"Ah, no need to worry." The captain assured him. "We sometimes drop those things even in an emergency. There is nothing much harmful about that, unless some carless guy leaves it in a flight apron for too long."

"Whew! That was a relief."

Some loud footsteps were heard from the hallway.

"SHIIIIDDDOOOOO!" Tohka called him.

"Wait, Tohka!" Victoria pleaded. "You know it's just an accident!"

The two girls barged inside.

"Shido, am I in trouble?" Tohka asked. "I dropped the toolbox box back there."

"No, you didn't do anything wrong." He replied. "You're fine."

"Ahh! Thank you!" She got close to him and pointed her head down. Shido knew what Tohka wanted and did it for her. This got Tonomachi confused.

"Uhhh...why is Shido patting Tohka's head?" He asked.

"Well...it's something he would do if Tohka did something good." Origami answered. "It's something that has been done in a while."

"That explains it."

"Nothing weird about that, no doubt." Victoria expressed her opinion. "She was just excited."

A speaker was then turned on.

"All units of the Gryphus Squadron, report to the briefing room immediately." The officer requested. "I repeat. All units of the Gryphus Squadron, report to the briefing room immediately."

"Well, looks like intelligence hit the jackpot." Origami said humurously.

"Let's go then." Shido said and everyone reported to the briefing room.

In the room, Eugene Solano and an elderly officer with a cane was waiting beside the screen. Everyone assigned was there. Some include the Gryphus and Warowl squadrons for air superiority, the Osean Sea Goblin unit for ground assaults and ship captains from the Osean and Emmerian navies. Eugene began to start the introduction.

"Everyone here? A lot may not be familiar with everyone before, so just listen up for now." The screen then turns on for the briefing.

"As you may begin to know, the Grey Men is in the process of weaponizing Spirits for their campaign of terror against multiple nations around the planet, coupled with the fact that they have mechs to bolster their forces. That brings us to those girls and a man sitting with us today."

Many of the personnel were intrigued with Shido and the Spirits.

"Is that what I think they are?" One of them asked his fellow mates.

"That guy looks exactly like the mercenary from Ustio." Another followed while pointing at Shido. "Look at the resemblence."

"Uh, why are some people talking about me?" Shido asked quietly to Tohka and Origami.

"Don't know." Origami replied. "They must have seen someone like you before."

"If they are, it could be your dopelgänger." Tohka followed.

"So somone that looked exactly like me lives here before?" Shido asked in his mind. "What was he doing?"

"Alright. Settle down." Eugene said before the elderly man walked foward.

"I am here today to help you people protect everyone else from the threat of both the spacequakes and the Grey Men." He started his part. "My name is Lieutenant Colonel Victor Voychek from the Federal Republic of Estovakia, and I'll be the supreme commander for the operation."

The screen then showed various reports.

"Since late January of this year, satellites picked up numerous activity around many parts of Belka." Voychek explained. "There is also some activity outside of the continent. We believe that the Grey Men have made contact with other actors as well. This would put the entire planet on high alert and that's why we picked you people to safeguard the peace."

Eugene then came forward.

"As of today, this operation, codenamed 'Guardian Angel', will commence immediately."

Everyone stand up and saluted.

(Fraxinus, 15,000 meters above Tenguu City)

In the bridge of the airship, the crew were hard at work trying to analyze the energy signature left behind from the incident. Kotori was sitting in her chair while licking her favorite sweet, the lolipop.

"Found anything within the site?" Kotori asked. "The sooner we can decode it, the sooner we can get my brother home."

"We're analyzing the sample now, commander." One of the crew replied. "This would probably take three days or more."

"Hurry up and get that thing done! We can't just waste too much time here!"

"On it."

A blonde man, Kyohei Kanazuki, arrived to inform Kotori.

"Excuse me commander, we have a visitor to see you." He said.

"Bring that person in."

Just then, Miku arrived feeling desperate.

"Have you seen Darling recently?" She asked Kotori. "I tried calling him but he didn't picked up."

"It's not just Shido that disappeared." Kotori replied. "Tohka and Origami disappeared as well."

"Why?"

"Because of that." She continued while pointing at the screen. "They entered into another dimension due to them chasing another Spirit. That's all we can get."

"So...you are saying...that they are...gone?" Miku weeped while asking.

"Not exactly. As what I said, they are in another dimension."

"What should I do then?"

"Just meet up with Nia at the apartment. She may fill you in with some more details."

"I...I will..." She slowly began to cheer up.

"If we can find a way to open a hole, we could send you there."

"YAHHHOOOO!" Miku suddenly began to feel excited and began to hug Kotori. "Thank you for helping me!"

"I...can't...move!" Kotori struggled. "Get off of me, Miku! We can't get the three home while you are annoying us!"

"But I'm willing to see Darling there!"

"Someone...help me over here!"

(Stier Castle, Waldreich Mountains, Principality of Belka - March 22, 2022, 0702 hrs.)

The Gryphus and Warowl squadrons and the Spirits began to approach Belkan territory as they are flying towards a suspected weapons depot.

"All right, this is for keeps." Eugene began to explain. "We are going to destroy a weapons depot located somewhere near Stier Castle. Sea Goblin will also infiltrate the area to steal blueprints and battle plans. Your mission is not just to take out the enemy's power to fight but also to get any knowledge of what they are up to."

"Roger that, Crux." Tonomachi replied. "Moving to Stier Castle at bearing 045."

"Remember, Sea Goblin is going inside. So they will transmit their position to help you aim your weapons carefully." Voychek reminded. "Keep them safe as well."

"Copy, colonel." Origami answered. "We'll keep them safe."

Sea Goblin began to raido them.

"This is Sea Goblin, thank you for joining us, Spirits and pilots." The leader said. "We'll be turning the entire place into one big crater."

"You're welcome, Sea Goblin." Shido replied. "We'll be your angels from here."

"You know, this is not the first time we came here."

"You came here before?" Tohka asked.

"Yes. Once, we are a flying limo when we came here to rescue the previous president. It's hell when you went inside the castle despite the scenery."

"Oh, I get it. I'm sure he's a nice guy."

"Indeed, he is." He replied. "He loves peace and as a result, he made a lot of friends."

Tohka nodded.

"Cheer up, guys." Victoria assured everyone. "I'm sure we can pull it off."

When they are near the castle, Shido noticed a big crater.

"A crater?" Shido wondered. "Maybe it's from the nuclear detonations the old man said before."

Chihaya then began to radio his allies.

"All aircraft, turn on your master arm switch."

They pressed the master arm switch as ordered.

"Gryphus 7, armed." Shido confirmed.

"Warowl 2, armed." He followed.

"Gryphus 1, armed." Tonomachi complied.

Soon after they turned on the switch, Belkan planes appeared on the radar.

"Tally ho on Belkan aircraft at bearing 010." Chihaya confirmed. "They did made quite a welcoming party."

"Let's respond in kind." Shido said humurously.

"Hehehe." Tonomachi laughed a little before moving to more pressing matters. "All units, break."

The allies and Belkan aircraft broke formation to engage each other. Origami took aim at a Belkan YF-23 Black Widow II and began to use Kadour to try to take out the plane.

"Watch it! Enemy is unleashing Spirit attack!" A Belkan warned. One of the pillars then hit the engine bays of the plane.

"One enemy down." Origami confirmed. "Moving to engage bandits."

"They probably have some knowledge of the Spirits." Shido observed. "Looks like Erich lectured them quite well."

"Likely." Tohka agreed before launching an energy attack on another Belkan plane. "Guess that explains the mechs."

"It should be." Tonomachi followed. "If he didn't, they would have been defeated quite easily."

The allies then continued to push on with the attack.

"Sea Goblin is 20 miles from the DZ." Sea Goblin radioed. "Keep us covered until we can go inside and leave."

Chihaya armed his missile on a Belkan Su-47 Berkut while being locked on.

"Warowl 1, Fox 2!" The missile flew to the target but it missed, forcing Chihaya to evade.

"I'm on this guy." Shido radioed and fired his gun at the plane. The pursuing plane then engulfed in flames.

"Thanks, Gryphus 7." Chihaya expressed his gratitude. "I owe you one."

"No problem." Shido replied.

The allied forces then slowly pushed the Belkans back.

"Warowl 2, Fox 2!" He fired the missile and it hit the Belkan fighter.

"Bandit down." He confimed.

"I'm on that guy." Victoria closed in on the Belkan plane and slashed it using her Angel.

"Dammit! Controls are offline!" The pilot panicked before ejecting.

"One less Belkan to worry about." She confimed.

The Belkans then lost all of its fighters in the area.

"All fighters are down." Crux confimed. "Continue with objective."

"Sea Goblin, all fighters are down." Shido radioed. "You may enter the castle area."

"Thanks, everyone." He replied. "You still have more things to do."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"He means that they are still not out of the forest." Tohka answered.

"She's right." Tonomachi told Shido. "There are AA guns, SAMs and ground units aside from those planes. They still need to be covered."

"Uh...right." Shido continued. "Let's go to the depot."

The allies then entered the depot and, as expected, the aforementioned threats are there.

"Yup. There they are." Shido observed.

"Time to clean house." Tonomachi radioed and the allies began to take out the threats. Tohka, Origami and Victoria took out some of the heavily-armed threats while the pilots took out the AA guns and SAMs.

Once the threats are dealt with, Sea Goblin dropped the soldiers and they entered the depot.

"This is Goblin Eye, we entered the facility." The leader radioed. "Keep us and the helicopter safe. Why not you take out some of those facilities when we mark them?"

"Copy, Goblin Eye." Victoria replied. "We'll hold here."

Just then, tanks and some more Belkan aircraft arrived.

"Be advised. Enemy forces are entering the area at bearings 321-340." Crux reported. "Looks like they mean business."

"Great!" Shido expressed some anger. "More of them showed up."

"Don't worry, Gryphus 7." Tonomachi assured him. "We can beat 'em."

"Hurry, they entered the facility!" A Belkan gunman radioed while under fire.

"Roger that." Another responded. "We're moving as fast as we can."

A firefight then ensued.

"Dammit! Enemies are in that platform over there!" An Osean soldier said.

"We can't get through in that direction!" Goblin Eye responded. "Get me someone to find another path for us!"

Suddenly, the Belkans were shot by an unknown source. They shortly found out it was Origami.

"You did this?" He asked her.

"Yes, sir." She responded while holding a sub-machine gun.

"I thought you have your power...thingy."

"I have. I just brought this MP5, just in case I have to engage in short-range combat."

"Huhuh. Anyway, let's keep moving."

Outside, the remaining units engage the Belkans as they continued to keep them at bay.

"Fox 2!" Shido shouted before the missile downed a plane.

Victoria then made a wall of flame to make the enemy's aim off. She then appeared from the flame to take out the tanks and some soldiers.

"Enemy squad taken out." Victoria said. "Keep moving. We got things covered."

"Roger that." Origami answered. "We are moving ahead. Sea Goblin will designate the targets once we have the plans."

Just then, a tank round hit Tohka, weakening her shield.

"Huwwah!" What was that?!" Tohka exclaimed. "It just weakend me!"

"What the?!" Shido asked in shock. "Don't tell me..."

"...they have anti-Spirit rounds?" Origami finished. "All Spirits, be careful when engaging the enemy! They have anti-Spirit rounds!"

They continued fighting while the ground forces and Origami are closing in on the command center.

"Even if you are down, keep pulling that trigger!" An Osean soldier reminded. When they approached the area, Origami found the CPU and began downloading data.

"We're at the command center." Origami reported. "Downloading data."

Shortly after, it is finished.

"We got the data!" Goblin Eye said. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

They exited the area just as Sea Goblin landed.

"Go, go, go!" Goblin Eye requested the pilot. "They'll start using desperate measures soon!"

"On it." The pilot answered and the helicopter began to fly to safe territory.

"They're getting away with the plans!" A Belkan pilot observed. "Get 'em!"

Shido, Tonomachi, Chihaya and Warowl 2 noticed that the planes are going after Sea Goblin.

"They're going after the helicopter." Warowl 2 reported.

"Roger." Shido answered. "Moving to engage."

They used their afterburners to close in on the Belkans. Once they are within range, they fired a volley of missiles. Some of the planes were down while any surviving airframe broke off to engage the allies.

"What are you all doing?!" The commander asked.

"We can't close in on the helicopter!" The Belkan answered. "The escorts are in the way!"

They tried to fight back but they are down shortly after.

"Origami, Shido, turn the entire depot into a crater." Tonomachi requested.

"Roger." Shido answered.

"Copy." Origami followed.

They returned to the depot, only to blow it out of existence.

"Firing rockets." Shido shouted before pressing the trigger to launch it's air-to-ground payload.

"...Artelif!"

Using her Angel, she launched a beam of light towards the facility. In almost an instant, the entire area was leveled.

"We're done here." Origami said to Shido. "Let's regroup."

"On it." Shido answered. "That would keep the Grey Men from getting some of their ammo."

"Yeah."

They regroup shortly after.

"Glad you made it back, you two." Tohka congratulated. "I felt relieved."

"We are okay." Victoria reported.

"Sea Goblin to all allies, thank you people for covering our backs today." The pilot thanked them.

"No problem." Shido replied. "You people needed it."

"How are the special forces?" Origami asked.

"We have some gunshot wounds, but we are all okay." Goblin Eye reported. "Thank you as well."

"Enemy depot confirmed destroyed." Crux reported. "The mission is a success."

"Looks like a long but comfy ride home to undertake." Victoria said quietly with a smile.

(Sand Island Air Force Base, Osean Federation - 1802 hrs.)

The units are in the briefing room to be debriefed.

"Most of the enemy forces, as well as the depot are eliminated." Eugene began to debrief. "Without the ammunition for their forces, their foothold would gradually be weakened."

"Also, with the recovery of classified intelligence, we can figure out what the Grey Men are up to." Voychek continued. "It will take some time before we can decipher the files, but I'm sure we will know what we will do for future operations."

"Anyway, we have a request from joint Osean, Yuktobanian and ISAF forces in Usea that needed help. Be prepared for the operation in three days. Dismissed."

After the debriefing, the pilots and the Spirits began to chat while eating.

"Those enemies we fought today, they are well-prepared." Shido said to his allies.

"Indeed they are." Tonomachi responded. "Not only the mechs, but we have bullets that can damage Spirits to worry about."

"Huhuh." Shido nodded. "I was getting worried after Tohka was hit by that thing."

"Yeah." Chihaya agreed. "The Grey Men are indeed well-armed for this. I won't be surprised much."

"Tohka?"

"Well...uh...they are dangerous." She said. "I not feeling comfortable after being hit by one."

"Judging by the fact that a D.E.M. employee was here, he gave a lot of info for them to use." Origami explained. "This would include blueprints for weapons originally used by Wizards."

"Wizards...as in people with magic?" Chihaya asked in confusion.

"Not those kinds. Those 'Wizards' are people who protects our world, supposedly against Spirits. And, as a former Wizard myself, I know how they fight."

"If what you said is true, then, the Grey Men are probably more powerful than either Osea or Yuktobania." Victoria said.

"Yeah. And we are united to stop them." Shido finished.

(Spirit Manor)

Miku was looking for her Sephira Crystal in a closet.

"Where is it? It has to be here somewhere." She said to herself. "Come on, Darling. Show me where the crystal is."

Suddenly, Nia showed up.

"What are you doing, Miku?" Nia asked her.

"I'm looking for Shido and his friends in another dimension." Miku responded.

"I have to warn you. You don't know what you are up against."

"That's why I'm bringing my Spirit powers with me."

"If that's the case, say hello to them for me." She reluctantly agreed.

Shortly after, Miku got her crystal, transformed into her Spirit form and set off to the other dimension.

 _A/N: Sorry for the delay, I'm a bit too bored to make this_

 _So many of you might have downloaded the recent update in_ Ace Combat Infinity _which includes the long-awaited ADA-01 ADLER superfighter. I might as well add them in a future chapter._

 _Any idea what is next?_


	7. Chapter 7 - Demon Lord and High Flyers

(Unknown Location)

"Ugggghh...where am I? I can't...feel my bed."

Shido opened his eyes to see a barren landscape with a mountain range in the distance. When he noticed it, explosions and jet noise can be heard overhead as fighter jets flew above in a dogfight. As well, he was sitting in a cockpit of an F/A-18C Hornet.

"Wait a minute! Why am I in a dogfight?! I'm not supposed to be here!"

Then, radio transmissions from both sides can be heard.

"Mayday, mayday! This is Griffon 5, I'm hit! Ejecting!" One pilot said.

"I can't lose him!" Another followed. "Get that guy off me!"

"It's Huckebein." A third pilot reported. "Don't let your guard down."

Shido couldn't believe his eyes by what he saw. He then began to calm down.

"Okay, okay. You can do this, Shido." He said to himself. "Just shoot down the enemy planes and you'll be fine."

As soon as he began to close in on a Su-27 Flanker, which he found out to be Belkan, he aimed his cannons at the front.

"Firing guns!"

The bullets hit the plane hard before exploding. Then, another Belkan fighter closed in on Shido.

"Oh boy, fighter on my tail!" Shido radioed. "I need cover!"

A radio transmission was received by an unknown source.

"Hold on. I'm on my way." A voice similar to Shido's replied.

"What the..." Shido wondered as an F-15C Eagle with patches of blue fired a missile at Shido's pursuer.

"Galm 1, Fox 2!"

The missile hit the Flanker in mere moments.

"Dammit!" The Belkan pilot panicked. "I'm taking damage!"

Shido was confused by the transmission.

"Wait a minute. That pilot's voice. Could it be..."

It wasn't long before a bright flash of light engulfed Shido's eyes.

"UUUUAAAARRRGGH! Why is the light blinding me?!"

The light engulfed Shido and the barren wasteland was replaced by a woodland being showered by snowfall. It also features a dam in the middle without the water reservoir. Strangely, he wasn't on the plane, but was sitting on the ground.

"Huh...now what?"

He checked his surroundings before reaching the open area.

"Strange. One moment I'm on a plane. The next..."

A figure was at the reservoir. Shido, at first, couldn't see properly. It wasn't until he decided to check it out that he expressed his shock.

"T-T-Tohka..." Shido tried to ask her, who is in her unwelcoming Inverse form.

Tohka didn't respond back

"...what happened to you?"

"Silence, human!" She responded. "I don't know what you are but you shall be gone from this mortal realm!"

"Wait! Hold on!"

She began summoning her Demon King, Nahemah, and pointed it towards Shido. Suddenly, jet noise can be heard again. This caught the attention of the two before seeing two planes battle it out like jousting.

"What the..."

"This can't be happening!"

An F-15C Eagle similar from before began shooting missiles and bullets at an unknown plane with a red wing on the right, which is also doing the same thing.

"Could the blue Eagle really be him?" Shido wondered.

"'Him'?" Tohka wondered. "Who's 'him'?"

Then, after a while, the white plane exploded and was approaching the Eagle on a collision course. The latter then rolled right to evade the smoking plane head-on before his opponent exploded again. Moments after, a bright flash was spotted in the sky. A boom was also heard.

"HYYYYAAA...what is it?!" Tohka shouted.

"Don't know!" Shido answered. "The light is blinding us!"

Another figure, this time in a flight suit approached Shido and Tohka. The figure was also similar to Shido. He was also wearing a patch with a red dog imprinted with the words 'Galm'.

"Don't be alarmed." The figure assured the two. "I won't harm you."

"W-wait...you look similar to that man." Tohka commented.

"Why are you doing here?" Shido asked his doppelgänger. "And why do you look just like me?"

"If you want to find out, I would suggest you two keep on flying."

The doppelgänger began to emit another bright flash of light.

"Good luck, everyone."

Everything is engulfed in light.

"UUUUAAAHHH!"

Shido shouted immediately after waking up. He looked at his surroundings before realizing he was in Sand Island.

"Huh...that was a bad nightmare."

The dream he had made him wonder.

"Who is that pilot? Could he be me?"

(Allenfort Air Base, Newfield Island, North Point - March 25, 2022, 1039 hrs.)

The Gryphus and Warowls squadrons, alongside the Spirits, were flying towards the island after receiving a request from the allied forces stationed there.

"Sure is a nice place to fly here, don't you think so?" Tohka asked.

"Yeah." Tonomachi agreed. "The calm waters and friendly territory makes it easier for us to fight. I hope that we can keep the center intact."

A radio transmisson from the base was received.

"This is ISAF Command, Newfield Island, requesting affiliation."

"This is Hiroto Tonomachi of the Aurelian Air Force, Gryphus Squadron, we are hear for operational support." Tonomachi responded.

"This is Chihaya Itsuka of the Osean Air Defense Force, 201st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Warowls, we are also here to support the operation." Chihaya followed.

"Thanks for the assistance. We need to escort a cargo plane carrying classified information."

"What kind of information?" Tohka asked.

"I told you, it's classified. You'll find out when the officers can allow."

"Uh...right. Sorry about that."

Then, a radio transmission from the cargo plane was received.

"Can you read me? This is White Bird 1, we are under attack by Belkan aircraft! Requesting assistance!"

"Gryphus 1 to White Bird, copy." Tonomachi accepted. "We'll assist."

At the same time, a Belkan transmission was picked up.

"Shoot down the transport at any costs!" The leader ordered. "Don't let them reach Allenfort!"

"All squadrons, be advised. White Bird is heading for 230 at 10000 feet." Crux reported. "Multiple Belkan aircraft are engaging cargo plane and Yuktobanian escorts. Escort the cargo to Allenfort at all costs."

"Gryphus to Crux, roger. Moving to engage."

The team then head to the location of the fight. When they saw the dogfight raging, the team was ready to engage.

"All units, keep the enemies away from White Bird." Tonomachi ordered.

"Roger. Gryphus 7, engaging!" Shido obliged.

"Warowl 1, engaging!" Chihaya followed.

"Warowl 2, engaging!" Warowl 2 followed.

"Princess, engaging!" Tohka complied.

"Firestorm, engaging!" Victoria continued.

"Angel, engaging!" Origami finshed.

The team split to engage the Belkan aircraft. The radio transmissions from the Yuke side were getting more frantic.

"Watch it, Spektr 3! Enemy on your tail!" A Yuke pilot warned one of his wingman.

"What..." Another replied while looking at a Belkan Su-47. "Damn, get him off me!"

It wasn't long before a missle from Gryphus 7 shot down the pursuing jet.

"Who's responsible for that shot?" He then looked at the friendly formation.

"They're here, comrades!" Spektr 1 announced. "Help has arrived!"

Tonomachi began to radio the Yukes.

"Spektr Squadron, this is Captain Tonomachi, we're here to help." Tonomachi said.

"Thanks for the help!" Spektr 1 commended. "Help us bring the cargo plane safe to the ground!"

"What happens when the plane reaches Newfield?" Victoria asked.

"The Belkans will have to face an advanced air defense system operated by the Oseans and ISAF. It's a shield for the plane to use. Once it enters the zone, it's smooth sailing."

"All right, thank's for the heads-up."

Tohka was pursuing a Belkan F-22 Raptor and before getting closer, the enemy pulled a Cobra.

"AWWAHH...that was close!" Tohka sighed.

Origami finished the plane off using her Angel.

"Got him!" She confirmed. "Keep the cargo secured, Tohka."

"Roger. I'll do."

Shido and Victoria were being pursued by Belkan craft as they try to shake them off.

"Shido, we have to keep up the pressure!" Victoria reminded.

"Copy!" He agreed before locking on an enemy. "I got him!"

He began to fire the missile before the two began to evade. The missile hit the engines and the plane was in flames.

"Enemy down!" Shido confirmed. "Now's the time for help!"

"I'm on these guys." Warowl 2 replied before using his AIM-9X Sidewinders.

"Fox 2, Fox 2!" One-by-one, each missile was fired at their targets. Almost all of them hit their marks and Warowl 2 began finishing the rest off with his guns.

"Firing guns!"

The planes exploded after a few bursts.

"I'm hit!" A Belkan pilot exclaimed. "Loosing control! I'm bailing out!"

"Nice shot, Warowl 2." Chihaya commended.

While the fight is beginning to look like the allies are going to win, Crux began to radio the team with disturbing information.

"All allied forces, be advised! Enemy reinforcements are approaching the island at bearing 161! Enemy consists of air units!"

"What?!" Tohka shouted with surprise.

"Too soon?!" Shido confirmed. "What's is going on?!"

"We have an enemy squadron consisting of unmanned X-02s and an airship approaching."

The seven X-02 Wyverns were approaching the island at high speed. The airship accompanying them raised suspicion.

"Weird." Tonomachi commented. "Something's up, unless..."

He then remembered the fight between his team and Greyhound back at Cape Landers, where a similar airship was engaged and destroyed by Shido.

"Everyone, watch it! The airship's providing wireless enhancements to the jets."

"What did you mean?" Spektr 1 asked.

"Trust us. You don't want to engage them." Origami warned.

"Uhh...roger that. We'll keep the cargo safe."

The Yuktobanian planes then followed the cargo plane to safety. Tonomachi then began to order the team to engage.

"Looks like we have some superpowered guests." Tonomachi said. "All units, engage the enemy. We have to take the airship down."

"Copy that." Shido replied. "Tohka, Victoria, Origami?"

"Roger." Origami responded.

"I have your back, Shido." Tohka followed.

"So do I." Victoria finished.

The X-02s then engaged the team in a dogfight. The Belkan planes then showed their potential thanks to the upgrades they received.

"Those UCAVs are sure tough." Warowl 2 commented. "Damn, they're good!"

"Yeah!" Victoria agreed. "What Miss Tobiichi said about Greyhound fits the picture."

The C-5 cargo plane and the Spektr Su-35 Flankers were flying towards the island at high speed in order to reach the safety of the air defense net.

"Hope those guys can get home alive." White Bird hoped.

"I couldn't disagree." Spektr 1 replied. "But we have to escort you to Allenfort."

Then, a yellow flash in front of them engulfed the eyes of the pilots.

"...the hell?! I can't see!" Spektr 4 exclaimed.

"So do I!" White Bird followed. "What is this?!"

"All pilots, evade!" The planes then split to evade the flash.

When the flash was gone, they were confused.

"What was that?!" Spektr 2 asked.

"Let's find out." Spektr 1 suggested. "White Bird, where are you?"

"We just entered the defense net." White Bird confirmed. "Tell the allies we owe them one."

"Roger that."

Miku and Nia were looking at their surroundings after they arrived.

"This must be it." Nia said. "Shido and the others must be here."

"Are you sure, Nia?" Miku asked. "Please tell me Darling is alright."

"Guess we better start looking."

The Spektr Squadron then broke formation to check at the source. When they returned, they were shocked.

"What the...can those ladies even fly?!" Spektr 1 exclaimed.

"They must be related to the others that were with them." Spektr 3 answered. "We may have to contact them."

The planes then encircled the two Spirits.

"Guess we have a hostile welcome party here." Nia commented. "Ready, Miku?"

"Yes, I am." Miku replied.

Nia then recieved a transmission from the fighters.

"Can you read me?" The leader asked. "We are no harm to you."

"Are you sure?" Nia demanded.

"Yes, we are. We need your help. Our reinforcements are engaging Belkan reinforcements as we speak and they may be in trouble."

"To who am I speaking with?"

"Captain Viktor Naschenev of the Yuktobanian Air Force, 210th Fighter Squadron, Spektr."

Nia then began to tell Miku the information.

"It appears that we are in another dimesion." Nia confirmed.

Miku then saw a dogfight in the distance.

"Uh...who are they fighting?" Miku wondered.

"Captain Naschenev, lead the way."

"Roger." The fighters and the Spirits then flew to assist the allies.

In the dogfight, Shido and his friends are starting to feel tired by the relentless assault.

"C'moon! Just a bit more!" Shido hoped.

Then, a sonic wave attack took down one of the Wyverns. Shido then recognized it.

"I know that attack. Could it be..."

"Hey Boy, long time no see." Nia radioed him.

Shido then saw Nia and Miku, alongside the Spektr Squadron.

"Humm...about time you showed up." Shido commented.

"Glad you came." Tohka followed. "We just started fighting them a moment ago."

"Yeah, we did. We were worried about you."

"All right, then, let's go." Origami said.

Nia, Miku and the Spektr Squadron arrived to help.

"Spektr 1 to all units, engage the Wyverns and assist our friends." Spektr 1 ordered.

"Roger." The squadron the split to engage.

"Thanks for the help, I guess." Chihaya replied.

The reinforcements arrived to help clear the skies of the Belkan air threat. Shido was pursuing a Wvyern and aimed his gun at the front. Pulling the trigger, he fired a few rounds before the plane was shot down.

"One enemy down!" Shido confirmed. "We have five left."

"I'm on this one." Victoria began to use her Angel to pierce the plane with her fire attack. The plane was then torn in half.

"Shido, I got him." Victoria told Shido.

"Thanks, Victoria."

Nia then looked at the flight patterns of the UCAVS. Using the knowledge she discovered, she began to use the laser blade originally for the AST.

"You're not getting away this time." She then charged towards the plane with her blade and sliced the right wing apart. The right wing exploded.

"Boy, you know what you are facing?" She asked.

"Yeah." Shido agreed. "We actually fought something like this.".

After that, she used Rasiel to study the specs of the airship. She then turned her attention to Origami.

"Origami, target the airship." Nia ordered. "That thing has to go down if we want to win."

"Right, I'm on it." Origami agreed.

"However, you have to watch yourself. It has laser defenses."

"Roger."

Overhearing what Nia said, Tonomachi radioed Shido.

"Gryphus 7, target the airship but watch out for their lasers." He ordered. "We'll handle things from here."

"On it." Shido then left to engage and as well, Origami began using her Angel to blast the airship. Though it is still flying, it was weak enough for Shido to fight.

"Fox 2!" He fire a missile while being targeted by its remaining laser defenses. The missile hit the core and in the process, the airship is breaking apart.

"Alright!" Origami uttered as the ship is crashing towards the sea.

The Wyverns are now flying less aggresively without the datalink support from the ship. This allowed them to finish off much easily.

"Crux, all enemy reinforcements are down." Tohka reported.

"Roger, Princess." Crux responded. "All units, RTB."

The team then regroup alongside the newcomers.

"That was one heck of a fight." Tonomachi commented. "If those two Spirits and the Yukes didn't came, I don't know what will happen to us."

"Yeah, Captain." Shido agreed. "By the way, meet these Spirits, Nia Honjou and Miku Izayoi."

"It's an honor flying with you, Captain." Nia said.

"Yeah, me too." Miku followed.

Miku then got closer to Shido's F-16 and when she saw him, she was overjoyed.

"I'm so glad that you are okay, Darling!" She said to Shido.

"Uhh...how about later, Miku." He rebuked. "We still have a job to do."

"Ugghh...okay then."

"To all Gryphus and Warowl units, on behalf of us and White Bird 1, we thank you for your help." Spektr 1 commended.

"It's a pleasure working with you, Spektr Team. I appreciate it." Origami replied.

The team then began to head for Allenfort.

(1403 hrs.)

When the team was in the mess hall, Nia was curious about Tonomachi and Chihaya. Miku, for her part, was hugging Shido extensively.

"So let me get this straight. This man, Tonomachi, was an ace pilot from a war in his country and was called 'nemesis' by his enemies?" Nia asked about the captain while holding Rasiel.

"Yes, I am." Tonomachi replied. "And after Shido and the others arrived here, they thought I was their friend from their home who looks similar to myself."

"And Chihaya here was a son of a pilot who both bear the last name Itsuka?"

"Yes, ma'am." Chihaya agreed. "My father was an ace pilot in a war."

"Hum...fascinating. You people are, indeed, great pilots."

"Thanks."

Warowl 2 and Victoria stepped forward.

"Don't forget about me and Victoria." Warowl 2 convinced.

"Okay, then." Nia agreed. "Tell me about yourselves."

"Lieutenant Brandon Orimura, Warowl 2." The pilot introduced himself.

"And I'm Victoria Isolde." The young Spirit followed.

"It's also an honor meeting you people. And don't worry about me. If you saw Tohka and Origami fly and fight differently, chances are I'm a Spirit as well."

"Oh wow." Victoria said in amazement.

"Nia, I presume?" Brandon asked.

"Yup."

Tohka and Origami was chatting about today's events.

"Still don't know what the cargo is, right?" Tohka asked.

"Not much yet; however, I did managed to get information that they are sending it to Sapin, and then to Osea." Origami confirmed. "Also, an officer told me to tell Itsuka that a plane is waiting for him to use there."

"I'll tell him about it."

"Please do. He said that a plane was from an earlier research project. 'Spirit Shield', I presume."

"Darling, how's your time here?" Miku asked Shido.

"Well, it's kinda a bit rough." Shido replied. "There are a few major problems this world is facing."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"First, there are more Spirits here, like the one we both encountered and Victoria over there. Then, a D.E.M. employee is also here."

"What?!" Miku was in shock.

"And then, there is another me in this world."

Miku was silent.

"Wait. There is another you?" Miku asked.

"It's kinda early to tell, so let's just get more over it later on."

"Alright, Darling. I'll wait."

The mood was getting calm at the base as the team was still busy chatting.

 _A/N: Long time, no see. I was busy with 'The OSS in Another World' and it was a bit more relaxing to write._

 _But anyway, I returned to keep writing this. I'll post another chapter for you to read._


	8. Chapter 8 - Crossroads to the Unknown

(Gran Rugido, Kingdom of Sapin - March 27, 2022, 1537 hrs.)

When Shido and Co. arrived at the airbase, all they can see are a couple of parked Rafales and a few transport planes adorned with the emblem of the Sapin Air Force. Major Roberto Astiras was there to see them.

"I received your confirmation that you are arriving here today to check on the plane."

"You did?" Shido asked. "Good to know."

"Follow me."

The group then head for a closed hangar. Once opened, they went inside to see a Rafale M featuring stripes that has the same colors as the Astral Dresses of Tohka and Origami. As well, the Gryphus and Aurelian Air Force emblems are there as well.

"This plane is marvelous!" Tohka expressed her joy.

"Wow." Victoria uttered. "I can't believe a plane for Shido is waiting for him."

"I think you are right." Nia agreed before using Rasiel to check the background of the plane. "And based on what my Angel can tell me, it did became part of the research project for upgrades."

Shido was still checking the plane with his eyes.

"Anyway Major, what can you tell from the plane?"

"Basically the governments of Osea and Aurelia were looking into upgrading their fleet with advanced technology." Astiras explained. "Due to some circumstances like peace advocacy and the threat of misinterpretation, this forced them to do that as well as to carefully get new equipment."

"I see." Tonomachi agreed. "Anyway, we'll be leaving with the plane."

"Thank you for coming, amigos. We hope to help you in times of need."

Brandon was curiously looking at Miku before asking.

"Miku, got a minute?"

"Yeah." She responded "Why?"

"We need to talk outside."

The two went outside for a discussion.

"I'm not sure if you are aware of this but there is a pop idol who looks just like you and she is popular around the world." Brandon explained. "She even has the same name. Coincidence, huh?"

"WHAT?!" Miku exclaimed. "THERE IS ANOTHER ME?! WHEN CAN I SEE HER?!"

"She's in a busy schedule. I heard in the news that she will be holding a concert in Griswall in two days. Besides, if she finds out about you, she might react the same way you did earlier."

"I'll get some tickets for me and Darling to check out. This world has many surprises."

"After we finish our mission, Miku. Remeber, we have a DEM employee and a lot of extremist Belkans to stop."

"Okay then."

The two returned back.

(Tenguu City)

Many fans of Miku were shocked by the news being shown on television. Even if they are not under Miku's control like before, they still have a fondness for her due to her recent surge in popularity following the release of her latest album.

"In the news, police are still searching for Miku Izayoi following her recent disappearance two days ago. No further details are given as of today and the music world are hoping for her return."

"Can't believe she just suddenly left." One fan sobbed.

"What can we do now?!" Another asked in desperarion.

A young lady who's left eye is blocked by her hair passed by to see the television. With some thoughts on the matter, she began looking.

"I wonder where she had gone. First Shido, then Tohka and Origami, now this? What is going on here?"

She left moments after.

(Aluro, Republic of Novaya - March 29, 2022, 0323 hrs.)

Shido, Origami and Miku were flying towards an abandoned Leasathian research facility to investigate reported Belkan presence. The rest were outside the combat zone ready to move in once the advanced SAM and AA batteries are down.

"Avoid the radar net while approaching the facility." Crux said. "Fly below 1300 ft. and destroy the radar station to shut it down. Also be advised that Goblin Eye and the Novayan special forces are in position."

"Copy that, Crux." Origami replied. "Moving to disable the radar."

Miku was still fixiated on Shido.

"I'm so excited to be with you for my first mission, Darling." She expressed her thoughts. "Let's give them a show."

"Right Miku." Shido replied. "Let's just keep flying below the radar and take it out. You might even alert the Belkans."

In Origami's PDA, smaller radar pockets can be seen, forcing her to alert her allies.

"Be careful. The Belkans are trying to make our cover harder to handle. Radar pockets are deployed."

"Roger." Shido replied.

For a while, they slowly flew away from the detection pocket while flying below 1300 ft. After that, they are halfway through.

"You're halfway there." Crux said.

The detection range began to slowly tighten.

"Here's the hard part." Shido commented.

They went very close to the treetops while ducking under the detection range. When they got past them, they saw the radar station.

"There's the station. Take it out."

Arming his AM 39-Exocet air-to-surface missile, he locked onto the target before pressing the trigger.

"Package away!" Shido shouted as the missile flies to its target. Once hit, the radar was disabled.

"I have confirmation of the removal of radar." Origami reported. "All units, move in and engage."

"Copy that." Tonomachi replied. "Let's go."

On the ground, the Belkans were in confusion as the downed radar made their AA defense blind. An operator was shocked when the radar was up in smoke.

"We've lost our radar coverage! We're under attack!"

"Scramble the fighters and inform Greyhound about this!" One Belkan commander ordered. "Don't let the facility fall to Allied hands!"

"Roger!"

Outside, Sea Goblin was dropping the infiltration team outside the base.

"Move it!" Goblin Eye shouted. "We need to get inside the base!"

"Copy, Goblin Eye!" The Novayan leader, Carol Leisma, replied. "Engaging hostiles!"

The joint Osean-Novayan forces began approaching the gate and opened fire at the Belkan guards. Despite the aid of a machine gun nest, an Osean sniper finished it off. In the air, the skies remained clear.

"So, what should we do now?" Miku asked. "There are no enemy fighters here yet."

"All we can do is just wait." Origami answered. "Let the ground forces and the others give us what to do."

AA fire suddenly lit up the sky. Then, Shido saw Belkan jets on his radar.

"Be advised, Belkan fighters approaching at high speed, bearing 169." Crux reported. "It looks like they are here to stop the attack."

"Copy Crux, moving to engage." Shido replied. "Alright, let's get them."

The team broke formation to engage the approaching Su-47s and YF-23s.

"It's him, the Demon Prince." The Belkan leader observed. "All pilots, it's time to get serious!"

"Roger, Rabe 2 engaging!"

The Belkans followed suit to attack. When in range, Shido armed his missiles at one of the Belkans.

"Fox 2!" The missile flies to the target head on but it narrowly missed. "Damn!"

"I have him." Origami took her turn and began to use Kadour to attack multiple fighters. The Belkans, however, evaded them and one began pursuing her.

"Origami, your six!"

"Huh..."

"Rabe 3, Fox 2!"

The missile left and pursued her. When it got close, she transformed into light and she was teleported away from the path, making the missile miss.

"What the..." The Belkan was in shock before Shido aimed his cannon at him.

"Firing guns!" With a few bursts, the Berkut was riddled with holes as it began its doomed descent.

"Damn you..." The pilot cursed before exploding.

"One down. Moving to next target."

"Wow...Darling!" Miku uttered before a YF-23 flew by. "HWWAAHH! That's close!"

"Stay clear, Miku! We have to focus!"

"Uhh...right."

Crux was monitoring the battle when he spotted two unknowns on his post aside from another Belkan formation.

"Be advised, we have two more bogeys approaching the site at bearing 067." Crux reported. "Sir, we also have another flight of Belkan aircraft heading for your position at bearing 177, altitude 4000. They might appear at any time."

"Thanks for the heads-up." Shido replied. "We'll be notified."

"Roger, we'll do." Tonomachi followed.

Below, the Allied ground units advanced inside the base.

"We can't get close to that building with that tank in front of us!" An Osean observed. "Someone take it out!"

"I'm on it!" Another aimed his rocket at the tank before pulling the trigger. "Rocket away!"

As the missile flies, the Novayan and Osean forces took cover. The missile then hit the target, effectively destroying the tank.

"Tank is out of commission!" Leisma uttered. "We must move!"

They moved on immediately after. Outside, Tonomachi and the others were heading for the base at high speed.

"Stay safe, Shido." Tohka said. "We're coming."

Suddenly, Belkan fighters showed up like what Crux reported earlier.

"Damn, those bastards are moving fast!" Tonomachi observed. "We need to finish them up quickly and head for the others!"

"Copy that, moving to engage!" Chihaya said before everyone broke formation to defend themselves.

In the base, the skies slowly became a sea of black smoke and tracers as the dogfight continued. Miku managed to use her sonic wave to shoot down five Belkan fighters.

"Control stick's not responding! I'm ejecting!" One of the pilots uttered before escaping.

"We have the advantage." Origami declared. "A few more and we have air superiority."

A radio transmission from Tonomachi was picked up.

"This is Gryphus One, we are engaging multiple Belkan fighters on our flight path!" He reported. "We can't make it to the facility for a while so I suggest stay where you are and help the ground forces take whatever's inside the facility."

"Captain, how many minutes can you take to take them down?" Miku asked.

"Seven minutes. Just hold on!"

"Affirmative, we'll do." Shido replied. "Stay safe!"

"You too, Seirei." The transmission ended.

"Let's move on! We need to win this!"

The ground became the Allies' kill zone as the assistance of the airmen became a sign of relief. When the ground forces entered the facility, the Novayan-Osean forces slowly made their way to the data center.

"There it is!" Goblin Eye observed. "Fill the Belkans with lead!"

The gunfight took a toll for both sides as they sustained casualties.

"We lost Beckham!" One Osean uttered. "Take cover!"

"Keep fighting!" Another shouted before firing his M4.

"I need cover fire!"

Outside, the skies became clear as the last of the Belkans were shot down.

"Whew! That was close." Miku sighed.

"Yeah...we're alive." Origami followed.

Then, Shido saw two unknowns on his radar.

"Hold up. I'm picking up two unknowns on the radar."

A radio transmission was picked up. This time it was from Greyhound.

"Fun's over Takamiya." The employee greeted him.

"Greyhound, I should have known!" Origami uttered.

"What do you want?" Asked Shido.

"We won't let you get away with the plans. That's what."

When they arrived, the Spirit Shido, Tohka and Origami saw back in Tenguu showed up alongside him.

"The Spirit from before..." Origami uttered in shock.

"This can't be happening..." Shido followed.

"No way..." Miku finished.

"Hold on, we're coming for ya!" Chihaya assured on the radio.

"Emiya, take them down." Greyhound ordered the Spirit.

"As you wish, Greyhound." The Spirit replied before revealing her Angel, a scythe.

The group where surprised.

"No good. I feel that we are slightly outmached." Origami expressed her opinion.

"Let's hope that the others arrive in time." Shido replied. "Everyone, engage!"

The group then broke formation to engage. The two Spirits turned their attention to Emiya while Shido did the same to Greyhound and the latter began a duel.

"Fox 2, Fox 2!" The missiles then followed Shido before they missed the target.

"Can't lose him!" Shido uttered while being pursued. He then did a barrel roll to get past him. "Firing gun!"

A few bullet rounds hit the FALKEN but the plane kept on flying.

"You have been honing your skills." Greyhound commented. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"Yeah, so do you."

On the Spirits, Emiya relentlessly used her Angel to put Origami and Miku on the defensive. The yellow glow emitted from the scythe began putting a dent.

"You're right, I guess we are a bit outmached." Miku said.

"Yeah!" Origami agreed. "Try restraining her while I try to get her distracted!"

"On it!"

While Origami was busy attacking, Miku was ready to unleash her Angel.

"Gabriel!"

In an instant, her organ appeared out of thin air before she began her attempt on restraining Emiya. A few presses on the keyboard unleashed Rondo but it only slowed the Spirit down.

"No way! She is almost as powerful as Dark Tohka from before!" Miku observed.

"But I think we can win this!" Origami rebuked. "Hold on!"

In the fight, Shido was still trailing Greyhound while trying to get a lock on him.

"Amost...there..."

After getting the lock, Greyhound suddenly pulled a Cobra and Shido overshot him.

"What?!"

"I have you now!"

The cockpit was raised to see a contraption within the body. Shido began evading before the plane fired a laser. It stopped a moment after.

"The laser...we better avoid it."

He then began radioing Miku and Origami.

"Origami, Miku, he's firing a laser! Watch it!" Shido warned.

"Copy!" Origami replied before evading the scythe.

"What laser, Darling?!" Miku asked.

"Greyhound is armed with a tactical laser system as what the world calls. I'm not sure but I think it could kill a Spirit."

"HYY...alright, we'll be careful!"

Shortly after, she continued her attempt to restrain Emiya. Suddenly, she broke free.

"KYYAA...how could she..."

She began using her power to attack the two Spirits.

"Grrhh...we can't hold out much longer!" Origami thought.

Greyhound somehow got the upper hand.

"Say goodbye, Takamiya!"

A missile suddenly hit the plane at close proximity.

"What the hell..."

Tonomachi and the others arrived on time to assist.

"This is Gryphus One, the party has arrived." He said on the radio.

"Thanks for the help, Cap." Shido replied. "We couldn't have made it without you."

"My pleasure."

Greyhound, feeling unsure, decided to retreat.

"Emiya, we must go. There is not time to attack the others."

"Roger that." Emiya replied before leaving with the FALKEN. Miku and Origami felt confused and relieved at the same time.

"Emiya, huh?" Origami thought.

"That's the Spirit's name?" Miku asked.

"Yeah. I heard their conversation by listening to their frequency. Looks like we may have to save her next time."

"Right."

Tohka got close to Shido feeling worried.

"Are you okay, Shido? Please tell me you aren't hurt!"

"I'm fine, Tohka." Shido assured her. "We're lucky today."

"Hah...thank you!"

Origami began radioing Nia their finding.

"Nia, we found out the name of the Spirit we're after. Her name is Emiya and she's with Greyhound."

"I'm keeping the record now. You should get some rest." Nia replied.

A trasmission from Goblin Eye was received.

"This is Goblin Eye, we have the data. I repeat, we have the data."

"Aknowledged Goblin Eye." Crux responded. "All units, RTB. Looks like Greyhound must have decided to challenge a few of our allies. Whatever grudge he has, we must stay on guard."

(Griswall, Federal Republic of Aurelia - March 31, 2022, 2001 hrs.)

At a concert for the other Miku Izayoi, the group scored a few of the last remaining tickets before being sold out the day prior to the concert.

"I told you about the concert, Darling, so please watch it." Miku said to Shido.

"Well, it was Brandon who told you first." Shido replied. "So please calm down for a while."

"He's right, no more hype for this." Brandon tried to defuse the situation. "I would rather sleep than hear her gossip."

Tonomachi intervened.

"Guys, let's just enjoy the concert for today." He suggested. "We need to relax a little after the fight a few days back."

"You're right."

Tohka was excited to see the concert after hearing Brandon and Miku's words.

"I think this world's have something in common, right?" Tohka asked before the others nodded.

Then, Miku appeared on stage wearing a glamorous pink dress. Everyone cheered.

"I can't thank you enough for your support." She said in her introduction. "I want to give you something that can liven the atmosphere. Let's go!"

The crowd cheered in praise. Miku saw her counterpart within the audience. Being close enough, both gave some smiles and nods in reply.

(Gracemeria, Republic of Emmeria - April 1, 2022, 0707 hrs.)

The old man walked through the suburbs looking for a house of his old colleague. When he found the mailbox imprinted with the words 'Itsuka', he knows he is in the right direction. He walked towards the porch and the doorway. He knocked a few times.

"Who is it?" A lady asked.

"It's Mr. Foulke, Tohka. I would like to speak with Mr. Itsuka for a while." The man replied. Once the door is opened, all it reveals is a lady with a light purple dress.

"Come in. I'll tell him you are here."

"Thank you."

The two then head for the living room and Foulke sat down.

"Would you like anything? I'll get you some tea and scones."

"That would be lovely, thank you."

Tohka went upstairs to find Itsuka. Foulke relaxed before the couple went down.

"It's been a long time since you asked me back in Usea." Itsuka greeted him.

"Yeah, it's a long story. We'll get over what happened in Avalon."

Itsuka sat down to discuss with his old friend.

"Buddy, there is something I need you to know." Foulke said. "It's about someone."

"Please explain." Itsuka agreed.

 _A/N: Chapter eight is done. There are some surprises that needs to be seen._


	9. Chapter 9 - Emiya Re-encounter

(Gracemeria, Republic of Emmeria - April 1, 2022, 0713 hrs.)

"Please explain." Itsuka requested while having a talk with his former wingman from the Belkan War.

"Buddy, I saw someone who looks just like you back when we flew over the Belkans years ago." Foulke explained.

"No way!" Itsuka reacted with shock. "There is another me here?!"

"I swear I saw your lookalike! As well, I caught a glimpse of the girl who looks just like Tohka here. I'm not sure but if recent events are to fit the picture, it appears they might have came from a dimension more or less different from our own."

Itsuka was having a hard time comprehending the situation.

"The sudden situation here, the strange craters and the strange lights, they all fit. That's why I came to see you...to tell about this."

"Okay. I understand. Look, if we don't find the other 'me' in time, we might be in a situation far from our control. I know this because of my activities before the damn war in Osea took place. I'm also starting to get worried about our son."

"I see. Buddy, if I can make up for what happen back in Belka, then I'm your guy to help you out."

Itsuka smiled after some hesitation.

"Of course. Welcome back, Pixy."

A slight smile was shown by his wingman as the two can finally fly again in sync just like the early days of the war. Suddenly, Tohka arrived with a tray containing tea and its teawares and scones.

"I brought you some tea and scones." She said to the two. "Anything wrong?"

"Nothing, dear." Itsuka replied. "Just some calm talking."

"Strange. I do hear you people talking about doppelgängers of ourselves. Anyway, drink up."

"Thank you, Tohka." Pixy replied gratefully before they began drinking.

"Buddy, you know someone who can help?"

"I think I know a few who can do that." Shido assured Pixy.

(Sand Island Air Base, Osean Federation - April 2, 2022, 0928 hrs.)

The team were discussing what they found so far in their previous missions. Because of the revelation that the Spirit Shido, Tohka and Origami encountered earlier was aligned with Greyhound and the Grey Men, their options are slowly becoming limited.

"Let's review the situation. Because they have a Spirit with them, they have a guarantee that they can approach us on almost equal terms." Tonomachi reviewed. "And because of her ability to travel through dimensions, they Grey Men could escape to the other side and rebuild what D.E.M. lost to its former glory. Is that right, Tobiichi?"

"It's highly likely they would do that in the event that their plans fail here." She agreed. "Based on that, we may have to reasses our strategy and find something to get us home."

"Boy, I almost forgot." Nia uttered. "I almost forgot to mention that Ratatoskr has finished analyzing the energy signature back at Tenguu."

"They did?!" Shido and Tohka reacted.

"Nia, you're sure about this?" Origami asked to confirm.

"They did. They were starting to build a gateway to this dimension the moment we went here first."

"Shido, Origami, you know what this means?"

"Yes, Tohka. We are going home." Origami answered.

"Yaay!"

"Calm down, Tohka." Shido calmly responded. "We are going home but we have some things to fulfill."

"I know. I'm glad we have some good news."

"Guys, what does the other dimension look like?" Victoria curiously asked.

"Uhm...well, in our dimension, things are quite complicated." Shido replied. "I can't think of some words to describe."

"Oh, geez."

"Don't worry, Victoria." Nia assured her. "You'll see it."

Then, Colonel Voycheck arrived. The team saluted in response.

"Good morning, people." He greeted.

"Good morning, sir." Tonomachi replied. "All members are accounted for."

"Very well. Now, on to more pressing matters."

The team sat down to hear the intel.

"After analyzing the data we've acquired in Waldrech and Aluro, we have confirmed that a base within the old Avalon Dam is now functional. Originally made to conduct missile launches, they've retrofitted it to house a bunker to conduct experiments regarding human augmentation."

"Hugh!?" Shido reacted.

"Something wrong, Itsuka?"

"Uh...nothing, sir."

"Okay. Command is now preparing to launch a counterattack as we speak."

The team stood up.

"We'll be ready for it at anytime." Chihaya said.

"We're counting on you. The world is waiting."

Voycheck left the room. Tonomachi has some thoughts.

"Speaking of going home, the guys in Aurelia has found out that the most probable location to head back for your dimension is in the same area, Avalon."

"You're kiddin,' right Captain?" Shido asked.

"I'm not. There is no turning back."

"Shido, listen. If I'm with you, I should be ready for anything and even my father would see my potential. It's like the time he fought in the Belkan War." Chihaya declared.

"Thanks, Chihaya."

Then, the Spirit in her kimono Astral Dress arrived.

"Excuse me, but do you have room for one more?" She asked. "I want to return some favors."

"Are you sure you are going to do this?" Miku asked with concern.

"Yes. I can't let you people get hurt badly from the mean ones."

Shido hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Sure. By the way, what is your name?"

"Mira. Mira Shimenki."

The team began to prepare their aircraft for take-off to the mainland and the Spirits were boarding the Globemaster as well. As the fighters began to taxi to the runway, radio communications were maintained between them and the control tower.

"Gryphus Squadron, Warowl Squadron, White Ash, maintain your speed to the runway. Wind speed is 102 degrees at five knots." The tower observed.

"Roger, control." Tonomachi responded.

When the planes are in position, they began to check their flight controls.

"All systems are green, requesting take-off."

"Copy. You are cleared for take-off. Good luck."

"Roger. Okay guys, power up."

The Gryphus Squadron fully opened the throttle and the planes thunder down the runway before lifting up. The Warowls and the transport plane followed suit moments after.

"Gryphus, Warowl, White Ash, maintain altitude of 20,000 ft. until you reached the target. Good luck."

The team formed up before flying to Avalon.

(Mund Valley, Principality of Belka - April 3, 2022, 1832 hrs.)

While flying, Crux began radioing the team for a status report.

"Crux to all units, allied reinforcements are approaching." Crux told the team. "Assist them to augment our attack power."

"Copy, Crux." Tonomachi affirmed.

As the team are approaching the dam, friendly radar blips are shown, indicating reinforcements for the operation. A radio transmission was then picked up.

"To all allied aircraft, do you read? This is Lieutenant Colonel Jack Bartlett of the O.A.D.F., we are here to provide assistance."

"Copy, colonel. Thank you for offering your help." Tonomachi replied. "This is Captain Hiroto Tonomachi of the Aurelian Air Force, we're here for the operation."

"I'm counting on your kids to make sure that we get out alive."

"Hehehe. Very funny."

Another radio transmission, this time from Osean and Yuktobanian special forces teams, was recieved.

"This is Goblin Eye, all units are on stand-by and awaiting further orders." The Osean team leader reported.

"This is Colonel Obertas of the Yuktobanian special forces team, 'Yasen', we are also in position as well." The female Yuktobanian leader echoed. "We'll be watching you people fly as well as fight."

When the team have the dam in sight, Shido was recalling the dream he had earlier regarding the place.

"This is real. The dogfight...it all took place here." He recalled quietly. "Would Tohka and the others be okay?"

Suddenly, they are targeted by the Belkan radar systems.

"Look alive, guys! We're being tracked!" Chihaya warned. "All units, break formation and engage!"

"Roger!"

The Spirits in the plane began preparations to head out to the fight.

"Get ready!" One of the crewmembers told the girls.

"Alright everyone, get up!" Tohka echoed and they stood ready.

As the girls saw the cargo doors slowly opened, the lights remained red.

"Listen up, do you have your emergency chutes with you?"

"Yes, we have!" Miku answered. "Why do we need it while we can just fly?"

"In the event that your mana is not working, you can use it to safely go down. We'll recover you in no time."

"Okay!"

"Ready, guys?" Origami asked.

"We are." Nia agreed.

Then, the lights go green after the doors are fully-opened.

"Go, go, go!" The crewmember shouted and the Spirits jumped out before flying off to the dam. Once the Spirits formed up, Origami was leading the pack.

"Everyone, we need to keep casualties to a minimum. I want everyone on guard and focused during the operation." She ordered.

"On it!" The girls responded.

Back on the dam, the bulk of the Grey Men's airpower was shown alongside Emiya and Greyhound with his FALKEN. Bandersnatch units also appeared to assist as well as AA defenses.

"Be advised, multiple bandits approaching. Bearing 325." Crux observed. "It looks like they mean business."

"Looks like this will be their last stand." Brandon commented. "Everyone, keep an eye out."

Greyhound began transmitting a message to Shido.

"I knew you would show up sooner or later, Takamiya." He greeted. "You won't get away with the loss of our progress."

"Aren't you ready to give up already?" Shido responded. "You ain't getting away this time."

"We'll see who goes down first."

The dogfight began as multiple aircraft attacked each other for air supremacy. The Spirits began to assist in handling Emiya and the Bandersnatch units while ground forces began shooting.

"Isarov, sitrep!" Obertas requested.

"Lot's of gun towers and armoured vehicles guarding the site." Isarov reported. "We need to call in air support."

"Copy."

As the allied forces continued the fight, Obertas began transmitting a request for an air strike.

"This is Obertas, multiple defenses are blocking our path." She reported. "We are designating targets for the attack."

"Copy that, I'm on it." Brandon agreed.

"So do I." Bartlett followed. "Okay, kid. Let's do this."

"Roger."

Shido began arming his air-to-air missile at Greyhound and he began to chase his adversary in a heated dogfight.

"Seirei, Fox 2, Fox 2!" He shouted before firing a missile which caused some light damage.

"Tck! Can't believe it!" Greyhound felt the impact. "Next one will be on you."

Greyhound began rolling behind Shido before chasing him. Not far, the Spirits began attacking the Bandersnatch units while Bartlett and Orimura began their attack run on the ground targets. It wasn't long before Mira unveiled her Angel.

"Merlin!" She called out her Angel, revealing its form as a wizard's staff.

"Whoah!" Tohka said in awe.

Then, Mira began launching ice attacks on the robots, slowing and freezing them down.

"Your turn, guys!"

"On it!" Victoria replied before preparing to summon her Angel. "Arthur!"

Once acquired, she began to slice the disabled robots to finally destroy them.

"Good job, Victoria!" Origami commented. "We still have some more work to do. Tohka, we'll handle Emiya."

"On it, Origami."

Goblin Eye and the Osean special operations team began slowly advancing towards the base. One of them began to prepare to cook a grenade.

"Grenade out!" He shouted before throwing it at a group of Grey Men soldiers. The explosion finished off a few of them.

"Go, go! Maintain your cover!"

"This is Goblin Eye, we are facing stiff resistance. Requesting support, over."

"Snipers!" One of the Osean shouted before another shot the sniper in response.

"Stay cover!"

Bartlett began arming his AIM-9 at a Belkan Berkut.

"Fox 2!" He fired the missle and it hit the target. "Enemy down! Moving to next target."

"Sierra hotel, Heartbreak One but we've got some Belkan tigers on the south side." One of his fellow pilots reported.

"Roger that. Any damaged aircraft, withdraw immediately if you can."

Greyhound continued his pursuit on Shido while arming the tactical laser system. He fired it but it wasn't close enough to touch Shido's plane.

"Just! Stay! Still!" Greyhound barked.

Shido was starting to feel the pressure.

"This is Gryphus 7, I need assistance!" He requested.

Tohka and Origami were now battling Emiya near the reservoir.

"You have to stop! We can help you!" Origami pleaded.

"Why should I?" Emiya responded defiantly. "Greyhound told me everything about you."

"What do you mean? Tohka asked.

"After you took down the company back at your dimension, he came here to help me when I was alone. Thanks to what he gave, I can't leave his side."

"No way!" Origami uttered in her mind. "So this is what Greyhound's doing?"

"Time to feel the smite of Morgan!" Emiya began unleashing her attack using her Angel on the two Spirits.

"AAARRRHHHAG!"

The two were hit.

"Huff...huff...Tohka, we need to regroup!" Origami suggested.

"...hyy...Yeah..." Tohka agreed before hearing Gryphus 7's calls for help. "Shido!"

"Tohka, wait!" Origami warned but Tohka left to find Shido. "Any Spirits nearby, need back-up!"

When she did, Greyhound was arming his laser for another shot. Shido was also closing in to return fire.

"Shido!"

She dashed towards the two and Shido noticed her coming closer.

"Tohka?" Shido uttered before she was direcly in the path of the laser.

"What the?!" Greyhound uttered before pressing the trigger.

Once pressed, the laser was fired but Tohka began shielding Shido and was pushed back because of the force of the weapon.

"TOHKA!"

For a moment, he didn't get a response.

"I'm fine, Shido." She told him. "Just some scratches."

"Whew! I'm glad you are safe." Shido sighed in relief. "Greyhound!"

He began attacking the FALKEN with a barrage of bullets and missiles. Greyhound is in a losing position.

"Damn you, Takamiya!" He cursed. "Emiya, open the portal now!"

"You sure, Greyhound?" Emiya asked while under fire from other Spirits.

"Do it!"

"On it." She began accessing a control panel from her left wrist and the ground in the reservoir was shaking.

"You felt that?" Miku asked. "The ground's shaking."

"Looks like they are opening a door or something." Nia observed. "Keep on the lookout."

As ordered, the newly-built gateway was revealed from the ground and began rising up to the sky. The allied soldiers were shocked.

"Holy...what is that thing?!" Goblin Eye asked.

"I don't know." Bartlett responded. "But something tells me it's trouble."

"We are confirming the appearance of an unknown structure." Crux reported. "All units, destroy it immediately!"

The gateway was activated to reveal a portal.

"If I can't succeed here, then we'll just take it to Japan instead!" Greyhound defiantly said before pulling away from the chase. Mira followed suit alongside a few Grey Men fighters.

"Are they heading for the portal?" Bartlett wondered.

"Looks like it, but where is he going?" Obertas responded.

"Beats me but we better destroy the support structure for good."

"Not yet." Shido responded. "If I can recall, he was heading for Japan. That means..."

"What?" Tonomachi asked. "What is it?!"

"He's heading for our home." Origami answered. "We can't just stay here!"

"Yeah! We're going back!" Tohka echoed.

"Gryphus 1 to Crux, we are going to the other dimension in pursuit of the two targets. How copy, over?"

Crux paused for a moment regarding the request.

"Copy. Good luck, sir." Crux agreed.

"Tell command if we don't come back in a month, it means we are lost or late."

"Sure. We'll pray for your sucess as well."

"Thank you. Guys, follow Shido's lead."

"Why me!?"

"The guys here don't know about our dimension, so we act as their guides." Nia said.

"Shido." Tohka uttered.

"Shido." The others echoed.

"Darling." Miku followed.

Shido was glad that his friends are with him.

"Thank you, guys."

He began to head forward to lead the team.

"All units, follow me."

"Kid, we'll handle things around here. Just get that bastard off your dimension." Bartlett ordered. "By the way, call me Heartbreak One. Nice to meet you."

"Thank you, sir."

The team began to head for home in their attempt to pursue Greyhound and Emiya. In the E-767, Crux spotted two unknown fighters.

"Warning, we have two unknows heading at 180!" Crux reported. "Probably enemies."

Then, a radio transmission was received.

"This is Captain Itsuka of the Galm Team, we'll join their quest as well." A pilot said to them.

"Galm Team..."

"Ya hear that?" Bartlett asked his allies.

"It's the Demon Lord!" Sea Goblin responded.

"He really did came back!" One pilot shouted with excitement.

As the allies cheered of their return, the two F-15C Eagles of the famed Galm Team arrived on the scene.

"See that portal, Pixy?" Itsuka asked his wingman. "That's where we are heading today."

"Roger, Cipher." Pixy replied. "Time to dive into the fireworks."

The two planes flew towards the portal to meet up with the others.

 _A/N: Okay, so we have a boatload of characters going after the villains in Tenguu. Everything's in place. Next stop: Japan._


	10. Chapter 10 - Spirit Return

(Tenguu City, Japan - April 2, 2022, 0958 hrs.)

Above the city, there is nothing but calm skies and clouds floating gracefully. Then, all of a sudden, fighter jets appeared out of thin air as they flew high to an undisclosed location far from the city.

"Tenguu...wasn't expecting to return back after a few months." Greyhound commented while looking at the scenery.

"Is this your dimension, sir?" Emiya asked.

"Yes. This area is where that Itsuka and the Spirits now reside. But, we will have to head for a place only I would know. I have some stuff left to work out."

In the cockpit of a Belkan Su-47, the pilot noticed radar blips from his gauges.

"Sir, we have spotted multiple bogies heading our way, closing fast." He reported.

"So they did followed us, eh? Alright, time to show them our superiority." Greyhound confidentally uttered. "All units, I'm going to contact a reliable ally for support. They'll help you out."

Not far away, Shido and the group arrived from the other dimension in pursuit. The moment they have arrived, Shido and Tohka were somewhat relieved they have returned home.

"I can't believe it. We are home." Shido commented.

"Yeah! Guess we are." Tohka followed.

Tonomachi and the other pilots and Spirits were surprised by the appearance of the city situated in what looks like a giant crater.

"So this is their dimension?" Tonomachi uttered. "Then, this must be Shido and his friends' home."

"Positive. But why would a city be situated in a crater?" Chihaya wondered.

Suddenly, Greyhound and his subordinates were spotted on radar.

"Be advised, Greyhound and the others are flying away to an unknown location." Brandon reported. "Unfortunately, because we don't know much about this world, it's best if we take them down here."

"Copy." Origami responded. "Everyone, keep the fight away from the city. We don't want anymore damage."

"Uh, what do you mean, Tobiichi?"

"Because...this city suffered much fighting in the past between Spirits, D.E.M., Ratatoskr and the AST."

"I never know about the last two." Tonomachi felt slightly dumbfounded. "Can you explain them later?"

"I will."

"Eh, we also have to be careful though." Miku warned. "You guys are pretty much stepping in our house so better hurry up."

"What do you mean, Miku?" Victoria asked.

"She meant that we are stepping inside their country's airspace, so they'll vector any of their fighters towards us." Tonomachi explained.

The team then began hitting their afterburners in pursuit of the Grey Men. When they got close, they armed with any of their remaining weapons.

"Fox 3! Fox 3!" Tonomachi shouted as he fired the AMRAAMs from the weapon pods under his wings. They hit at least four Belkan fighters.

"I'm hit! Ejecting!" One Belkan shouted.

"I was expecting you to show up here." Greyhound taunted Itsuka.

"So what, you are going to take the fight here?" Shido responded.

"Hmmm...maybe."

The fight became suddenly fierce as a dogfight never before seen since the Spacequake Incident took hold. Down below, in Raizen High School, classes were still ongoing as their homeroom teacher, Tamae Okamine, was busy teaching.

"Alright everyone, time for a pop quiz." She said to her students. "I want you all to give your best out there."

As the students prepare to get their pens, one student by the window saw a fight going on.

"Hey guys, take a look at the sky!" He told his friends and they saw a fight going on.

"It can't be! Let me see!" One female student tried to look.

"I wanna look too!" Another demanded.

Tamae was worried about what is going on so she decided to look as well. When she saw the situation unfold, she was shocked.

"Okay class, time to hide in a bunker! No pushies!" She told the students. "If you have someone who can calm you down, it is kindly accepted."

In the nearby Self-Defense Forces' garrison, the once-dormant Anti-Spirit Team or AST was suddenly under high-alert as they began to respond to the emergency. As the girls were preparing to leave with their Combat Realizer Units being worn, the leader of the team, Ryouko Kusakabe, was discussing the situation with Mikie Okamine.

"You ready for this, Mikie?" Ryouko asked. "It's been a long time since the last battle."

"Yes, ma'am." Mikie responded. "What you taught me should be put into practice."

"Good. Stay safe out there."

Back in the air, Brandon began lining up his cannon to fire at another Belkan fighter despite some heavy maneuvering. Pressing the trigger, he fired bursts of rounds at the target, damaging the plane.

"Tagged! He's taking a beating." He said. "Mira?"

"I'm on this guy." She began freezing the engine of the target, effectively crippling it before the pilot began ejecting.

"He's down!" She confirmed.

"Sledgehammer, Emiya's at your five o'clock!" Tohka shouted and Brandon spotted Emiya preparing to attack.

"Whoa!" He uttered while evading her attack. "Get her off me!"

Tohka and Mira began drawing their weapons and proceeded to clash with Emiya's Angel. The clash then head towards solid ground in a forest.

"Humph! Guess I'm alone." Emiya said.

Mira began using her Angel to launch a hail of ice shards against Emiya but the latter deflected it and sent some back to her. Fortunately, Mira evaded the attack. Tohka began attacking her from behind but Emiya dodged it.

"How did she do that?" Tohka wondered.

"I'm just way better than you." The other Spirit responded.

She began unleashing her Angel's power on Tohka, knocking her back.

"Hhuaaah! Ngg...I can't...the laser attack from before..."

Emiya turned her attention to Mira and the latter began charging from side to side but the former predicted her path and sent another attack on her.

"Huuauauaahhhh!"

The Spirit was hit by a tree on impac, knocking her unconscious.

"Guess you are just wasting my time here." Emiya mocked the other Spirits. "I better get going."

"Huuggh...you can't get away with this!" Tohka responded. "Shido can help you turn your life around."

"I wouldn't need his help. I'm fine just the way I am."

Suddenly, bullets rained down upon Emiya.

"Huh?"

Tohka then saw multiple flying girls with revealing outfits and weapons armed. She was surprised that they are aiming for the hostile Spirit. Tohka took her chance and began getting Mira to safety.

"Hya...who are those people?" Emiya wondered before leaving off to find Greyhound.

Ryouko and Mikie head to the ground to check for anyone else. They then spotted the remaining Spirits hiding beside a tree.

"Heeeeyyy!" The two shouted.

"It's alright!" Mikie assured. "Everything's under control!"

"I can't believe it! The mecha mecha squad?"

"Glad you people are okay. What's the sitrep?"

"You see, we are in pursuit of a D.E.M. employee and we just arrived from another dimension."

"That explains it." Ryouko reacted with some shock. "Troops, follow Princess. We have a priority target on our hands."

"Excuse me, can you take care of her?" Tohka asked while holding Mira.

"What happened to her?"

"She's out cold. I need someone to treat her."

"Don't worry. We're on it."

"Thank you."

In the dogfight, the allied fighters began clearing the skies of Belkan jets. Greyhound then suddenly noticed two allied craft on his screen aside from multiple unknown contacts.

"All surviving units, that's enough. Withdraw with Emiya at once. Emiya, take them to the base as instructed.

"As you wish." Emiya responded.

"Roger that, sir." One Belkan captain replied. "All units, follow her."

The aircraft began flying away from the battle, leaving Shido and the team confused.

"Weird. They are withdrawing." Chihaya said. "Did they just give up or something?"

"Not just yet." Shido answered. "Something tells me they haven't finished the fight."

Then, two red airships appeared from their cloaking devices and began unleashing Bandersnatch units.

"Holy...that's alot of mechs!" Tonomachi reacted.

"We'll never finish them off before they do!" Brandon followed. "Captain, any ideas?"

"They are just a few of us and a lot of them." Origami observed. "Our mana would be drained before..."

Suddenly, they received a transmission from Tohka.

"Guys, we have help!" Tohka said. "The mecha mecha squad is here!"

"'Mecha mecha' what?" Tonomachi felt dumbfounded.

"The AST, cap." Shido clarified with confidence. "Just in a nick of time, too."

Tohka and the AST arrived and Ryouko saw Origami in her Spirit form.

"After all those years, you are still protecting, eh?" Ryouko greeter the former member.

"Yeah." Origami replied. "Good to see you again, ma'am."

Ryouko nodded before Tonomachi began radioing Origami.

"Origami, patch me the captain of the team on the line." He requested and Origami gave her earpiece to Ryouko.

"Who are you, sir?"

"I'm Captain Hiroto Tonomach of the Gryphus Squadron. Nice to meet you but we have a dire situation on our hands."

"Tell me quick."

"We are dealing with a former D.E.M. employee of your world and he has managed to get reinforcements to impede us. Please redirect your team to handle the Bandersnatch units while we close in and destroy the airships. A couple of Spirits will help you."

"Copy that."

"Any allied aircraft and Spirits, time to finish this."

Then, another transmission was picked up.

"Don't forget us." He said.

"Who are you?" Tonomachi demanded.

"Ustio's 6th Air Division, 66th Air Force Unit."

Tonomachi cannot believe what he heard.

"Galm Team!?".

The two Eagles appeared from the clouds to aid the team in the defense.

"Sir, don't forget us as well." Crux followed.

"Crux, is that you?"

"We decided that you would need us just in case."

"Glad you made it."

The Eagle in the red wing then head closer to Shido and stayed put.

"Hey buddy, missed us?" Pixy asked Shido.

"It's you!" Shido reacted. "You're the guy in my dream! The one with the red wing!"

"So you found out? We'll explain later but now, time to end the battle."

"Copy that."

"All allied units, we have multiple bandits heading our way. Engage and destroy." Crux ordered.

"Roger that." The team responded.

"Galm Team, engaging." Cipher responded.

"Warowl Team and Gryphus Team, engaging." Tonomachi followed.

"All AST units and Spirits, engage!" Ryouko followed.

The fight became much fiercer as bullets, lasers and energy beams were thrown at each other. The AST concentrated at the Bandersnatch units while allied aircraft and Spirits began attacking the airships.

"Concentrate your fire on the defenses." Cipher suggested. "That would make things easier."

"Roger." Shido responded.

With their remaining missiles, they fired a few salvoes but they are stopped by their shields.

"A shield, huh? Okay, time for other ideas." Cipher observed. "Any Spirits, we need you to take down the shields."

"You got it although...never mind." Tohka responded.

"Copy that." Origami followed.

"We'll handle things from here." Nia assured. "Just go."

The two Spirits nodded and they got close to the airships. Origami began noticing the shields based on her observance.

"If we can cause too much feedback, the shields can be disabled and the airships can be destroyed. Tohka, use Halvanhelev."

"On it."

Tohka went down and began to summon her Angel's final form by summoning her throne. She slashed it in half and parts of it covered her Angel, turning it into its final form.

"Halvanhelev!"

"All aircraft, stand back." Origami warned "We're going to disable the shields."

"Wilco." Tonomachi responded. "All aircraft, stay away from the airships."

Tohka returned and rejoined with Origami.

"Ready, Tohka?"

"Yeah."

"Be careful with your Angel. We don't want any collateral damage."

Origami began to summon one of her Angel's forms.

"Artelif!"

After summoning her form, they aimed their attack at two separate airships.

"Huuuuuaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"

They simultaneously launched their attacks on the airships. Its power is too much for the shields to handle, rendering them useless.

"Shields are down. All pilots, let's get 'em." Chihaya ordered.

The aircraft began throwing bullets and missiles at the airships. The remaining defenses were struggling to shoot them down and they are close to destruction.

"Now, Shido!" Cipher shouted.

The two planes simultaneously fired their last missile at the cores. They hit their marks and the ship began exploding in a fireball. Moments after, they exploded.

"Good job, guys." Tonomachi lauded. "That's one in a million."

The team cheered and Cipher flew closely with Shido.

"Good to see you, Shido." Cipher said with a similar voice.

"Oh, hey." Shido replied. "It's nice to meet you."

Tohka then flew closer to the two planes.

"Hey, Tohka." Cipher greeted.

"I can't believe I'm meeting the other Shido." Tohka responded. "So that's the other you."

"Yeah, so is you. Anyway, do you have a nearby base where we can bring our birds down? We are pretty getting close to bingo fuel."

"Bingo what?"

"I can help you with that." Ryouko answered. "Follow me, everyone."

Crux began transmitting a radio broadcast.

"All reinforcements are down but Greyhound and Emiya escaped. Looks like we need all the help we can get if we can find them in this dimension."

(1028 hrs.)

One by one, the planes began touching down after Shido and the Spirits landed. The most notable of which is the two Galm Team pilots which landed last. After taxiing to the flight apron, ground crew began servicing the planes. Cipher and Pixy got out of the aircraft to meet with Shido.

"Your dimension is nice enough to help us out, if I say so myself." Pixy commented with his helmet off. "Good flying today."

"Thank you, sir." Shido thanked.

"Shido!" A familiar voice shouted and Shido saw Kotori. "Glad you came back, bro."

"Good to be back, Kotori." Shido then hugged his adopted sister.

"Hey, who are those guys behind you?"

"Oh, sorry Kotori." Cipher apologized.

"Wait. How do you know my name?" Kotori wondered.

Cipher began taking off his helmet, revealing a face similar to Shido's but a bit older and with some grey hair.

"Shido?"

"Yeah. I know your name because I have the same sister."

"Re-re-really?!

"Yeah. We were just as close as you and your Shido." He then gave a pat on Kotori's head which made her smile.

"Thank you."

"Dad!" Chihaya shouted at the sight of his father.

"Dad?" Kotori was confused as she saw Chihaya and Cipher exchanged a hug.

"I'm glad you are safe." The other Shido uttered.

"You do raised your child very well over the past years." Pixy commented.

"Thank you, Larry."

"Wait." Shido interrupted. "Mind if I can ask your name, Pixy?"

"Sure. I'm Larry Foulke. Call me Pixy all you want."

"Good to be back, Pixy." The two shook hands

"Itsuka, I want to thank you for watching over my son." Cipher lauded. "Without you, I don't know what will happen to Chihaya."

"Sure."

He smiled before Tohka appeared.

"Hi, guys." She greeted. "So you are the other Shido and his friend."

"Yes. Yes we are." Cipher responded.

Then, Miku arrived.

"Wait, you are the other Shido?" Miku asked him.

"I am. I just said it earlier."

"Oooohhh! Your planes and your outfits are quite nice. I wonder when I can try those."

"Uhhh...maybe not now and besides, just call me Cipher."

"If that's the case, maybe I can treat you to one of my concerts next time, okay?"

"We'll see."

The friendly conversation continued.

 _A/N: Now the war suddenly heads south towards Tenguu City. Things are going to get a little interesting._

 _For anyone in_ Ace Combat Infinity _, complete pre-flight checklists because_ Sword Art Online _comes to gaming in the form of emblems. And I'm probably adding some father-and-son moments in relation to that of Kirito, Asuna and Yui's._

 _See ya._


	11. Chapter 11 - Meeting of Veterans

(Sand Island Air Base, Osean Federation - April 2, 2022, 2314 hrs.)

The allied officers were scrambling to figure out the motives of Greyhound's departure from Avalon Dam via a portal, which he, the Grey Men and a portion of the allied strike team used before disappearing. Voychek was being briefed by an officer regarding the situation.

"They disappeared!?" Voychek asked. "You're sure?"

"Yes, sir." An Osean officer answered. "With the Galm Team and Crux being the last to enter, Captain Tonomachi was serious. They said that they are heading in pursuit of the target in another dimension."

"Order the commanders to perform a thorough sweep in all of the suspected areas. I don't want another portal generator running."

"Yes, sir." He saluted before leaving.

Then, an Aurelian officer arrived.

"Sir, word from the mainland has arrived." He told him. "The package is heading here in three days."

"Is there anything in the cargo?"

"It's a recovered portal generator."

"Holy...you're kidding?"

"No, sir."

Voychek has some thoughts on what to do with it.

"Uh...sir?"

"Get the allied nations on the line." He requested. "We may need to enter that dimension to find out."

"On it."

(Tenguu City, Japan - April 3, 2022, 0659 hrs.)

Shido was sleeping soundly in his house in the hours since he and his friends returned from the other dimension. Other than his counterpart and Tonomachi's, he has only one problem left to solve and that is finding Greyhound and Emiya. A knock on the door shortly after his alarm clock rang was heard.

"Shido, are you up?" Tohka asked him.

"Mmmggggghh...Tohka?" Shido asked while getting up. "I'm coming. Be there in a minute."

"Okay. Tonomachi, Chihaya and the other you are downstairs visiting our house."

"Wait, they're...visiting us?"

"They just want to see you."

Shido hesitated slightly before he began to change clothes.

"Anyway, I'll make them breakfast if they asked."

"Okay, I'll tell them."

After Shido changed clothing, he began to head down to the kitchen to prepare the meals. On the way there, he saw Kotori and the pilots having a chat with one another. They then noticed Shido.

"Morning, Shido." Cipher greeted. "I hope you've slept well."

"Oh, hey there." Shido replied. "I was just about to cook breakfast."

"Just some coffee and buttered toast for us." Tonomachi requested. "We're kinda used to fighting without it sometimes."

"I'll have the usual, please." Kotori followed while wearing a pair of black ribbons, a sign of her personality as commander for Ratatoskr.

"Coming up."

As he gets the ingredients, the four seated continued talking.

"About Tonomachi here, why is that his enemies hated him so much?" Kotori asked.

"It's almost always like that." Tonomachi answered. "You do something eye-raising, they will take notice and think of our actions as a blow to them."

"Like what event?"

"Like taking down an aerial fort." Unknown to Kotori, Tonomachi was referring to the aerial fortress Gleipnir that crashed in Santa Elva.

"No way!"

"Ah, Gleipnir." Cipher figured out. "I've read the news reports. The one with the optical camouflage and that 'Shock Cannon.'"

"What is a 'Shock Cannon' anyway? It looks like it's just as powerful as a spacequake."

"To simply say it, it uses shockwaves to level it's enemies."

"Okay. Anything else that is eye-raising?"

"Fenrir. The superfighter we shot down more than a year ago."

"They even exposed the reason why it's developed." Chihaya further explained. "When the report came out for the real reason behind the war, the citizens in Leasath rioted against their leader Diego Navarro. All hell broke loose there."

"All thanks to Tonomachi here."

"But what about you, Cipher? Pixy told me everything about you."

"To put things simply, I'm just feared and liked by everyone. Friends and foes alike."

"They called him "the Demon Lord of the Round Table" due to his actions." Tonomachi elaborated. "Even the best of ace pilots couldn't be able to match his skills."

"WHHAAATTT?!" Kotori shouted in surprise.

"Like what happened in B7R?" Chihaya uttered.

"Yeah, Battle-Axe."

"What's with "Battle Axe" anyway?"

"It's a large-scale dogfight in the Area B7R region of the country called Belka." Cipher explained. "I was called 'the Demon Lord of the Round Table' from that point."

 **XXXXXXXX**

(27 years earlier)

(Area B7R, Belka - May 28, 1995, 1213 hrs.)

The dogfight entered a new phase as the Galm Team were busy tackling a Belkan ace squadron comprised of eight MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors as well a few Belkan fighters which were also there to stop the mercenaries.

"Bandit's in gun range." Cipher said before firing the gun to finish off a Belkan Su-37 Terminator. He turned away to attack the Foxhounds.

"Feeling a bit scared? Afraid?" The Foxhound pilot taunted. "That's just death lurking around."

"No, I'm not." Cipher confidently responded.

"Target the leader."

The squadron then began to attack Cipher but continuously evaded and began to attack the former in retaliation and took down two Foxhounds.

"Another aircraft?" Who shot it down?" One Belkan pilot asked.

"Demon of Ustio." Another answered.

"What the hell happened?" The Foxhound leader uttered in disgust.

"About half the Belkan fighters have been shot down." The Allied AWACS, Eagle Eye, confirmed. "You can win this."

"Feeling scared, huh? Pixy, time to show 'em what we can do."

"Roger, ready to roll." Pixy responded.

The duo began to down the enemy fighters. Many Belkan fighters maneuvered as hard as they can but in the end, they fell before the eyes of the Demon Lord.

"Yeah, Cipher just bagged a bandit!" An Osean pilot named PJ uttered in enthusiasm.

"The demon born of the Round Table..." Another pilot uttered.

 **XXXXXXXX**

"I...I...I..." Kotori tried to get hold of the story.

"But alas, my father disappered from the skies shortly after the war ended...until now."

"The reason why me and Pixy came here is because of what's happening in our world. Thanks to my trusted friends, I now know why they are doing this. It's also a continuation of my actions before the war."

"What do you mean of the actions before the war happened?" Kotori wondered while Cipher began remembering.

"It's because...of Tohka."

Those near him stood silent.

"What do you know about my mother, dad?" Chihaya asked with a slightly demanding attitude.

"It's because...because..."

They were waiting for his answer.

"It's because she was a Spirit as well."

"WHAT?!" Everyone, including Shido, was shocked at the revelation.

"I don't believe it!" Tonomachi tried to understand.

"My mom...she was a Spirit!?"

"But not what you'ld think. She was once a normal girl but some organization took her away from her family, performed experiments on her and became the person she was back then. I rescued her and she was happily living her life now."

The revelation made Tonomachi wonder about their current operation.

"Speaking of which, Shido, Tohka and Origami here might be hiding something they can't simply give out to the superiors."

"Like what? Most of the Spirits here were humans before." Kotori told the pilots.

"You're sure about this?" Chihaya asked.

"Definitely. Nia told everything."

"I kinda understand what they is going through. When we are briefed about human augmentation, Shido reacted with a surprised look. I noticed his reaction and I suspected he may have more information about this. Now that we believe that the Spirits in our world may once be human, everything became clear."

"But what about the spacequakes?"

"That, we are still analyzing." Kotori answered.

"And here's the kicker. He said that to save the Spirits, he has to let her go on a date."

"Pfftt...I know that."

"So do I." Cipher echoed Kotori's answer.

Shido then came with the food.

"Here you go." Shido said while giving out the food. "So...that's the truth?"

"I know it's a bit hard to hear." Tonomachi assured him. "Victoria, Mira...and Emiya...might be human before."

"So you've found out about them?"

"We are not entirely sure just like you but we may be closer to figuring out."

"Thanks, guys." Shido smiled, knowing that things can still be alright.

"Anyway guys, Crux and I have arranged a briefing at 10 o'clock in the morning." Kotori reminded. "Everyone including those in the SDF will be hearing this."

"Okay. We'll be there." Chihaya agreed. "Shido, get something to eat."

Shido nodded and began to sjt with the guests.

(Fraxinus, 15,000 meters above Tenguu City - 0952 hrs.)

They arrived in the airship just as selected Japanese officers were walking calmly to the room where they will hear the briefing. Then, Pixy arrived to meet up.

"Glad you made it, guys." He greeted.

"No problem." Cipher responded. "By the way, we need to talk in private."

"A'ight."

"Excuse us for a little while." The two veterans then left to talk about the latest revelation.

Suddenly, Kaguya and Yuzuru arrived looking for the Galm pilots.

"Excuse me, have you seen the Demon Lord and his associate?" Kaguya asked. "I need to ask him something."

"Confirmation. She is asking if you people have seen them." Yuzuru explained. "The pilot's history has intrigued her."

"Well, they are currently talking in private for a moment so just wait until they've finished." Tonomachi answered.

"By the way, you look similar to Tonomachi in our world."

"Resemblance. What she said was true."

"Hehe...yeah, Shido and the others were wondering as well when they first came to our dimension."

"Hey guys, is everyone here?" Shido asked.

"Affirmative. They have already assembled for the briefing." Yuzuru confirmed.

They entered a room where various officers were waiting. After a few minutes, Cipher and Pixy returned to catch up with the group.

"So it was true, after all." Pixy commented. "The guys who told me stories about you was truthful. And Tohka was a Spirit as well."

"Yeah. A bit hard for Chihaya and Tonomachi to handle it at first."

"When we get back, I'll check out the files for myself and see what you have been doing at that time."

"I may do that."

The duo then began sitting between Captain Tonomachi and Mukuro Hoshimiya, a fellow Spirit.

"I believe you people are the so-called "Knights of the Round Table," am I correct?" Muku asked them.

"Yes, we are." Cipher answered. "Did the other guys told you about us?"

"Yes, I do heard about your actions."

"It's a long story, but we are highly feared and admired by both sides." Pixy explained. "If anything, we are the country of Ustio's last hope."

"I see."

"I'm Cipher, or Shido Itsuka from another dimension." Cipher introduced.

"Larry Foulke, or Solo Wing Pixy." His wingman followed.

"Muku. Mukuro Hoshimiya."

Nearby, Brandon was patiently reading a newspaper when Chihaya came.

"You look a bit surprised." Brandon commented. "Did something bad happened?"

"Not really." Chihaya answered. "But..."

"Too hard to explain, I see."

"Yeah. My dad said that my mom is a Spirit and that he has a record of fighting before the Belkan War happened."

"No way! Your mom is..."

"I know."

Brandon then began to calm down.

"Anyway, Tonomachi told me about Spirits being human before. Should make things different from now on."

"Good. I'm counting on you."

Brandon nodded. Then, Eugene arrived.

"Alright, everyone."

The participants saluted in response.

"Please be seated."

They followed the order.

"Now I know why you are wondering why we are here. To sum things up, I'm Eugene Solano from the Federal Republic of Aurelia and some of the pilots and Spirits here are from the same dimension as mine. You may raise your hand."

Said people raised their hands which made the others, except Shido, Tohka, Origami and a few more, intrigued.

"They even have Spirits?" One Spirit named Natsumi asked. "Wow!"

"Yes, they have." Nia answered. "I saw them myself."

"I wanna talk to them, too."

"You can if you want."

"Now, on to more pressing matters." Eugene began to brief them. "In our dimension, we are suffering a crisis due to the appearance of spacequakes. They are caused by Spirits, supernatural beings; however, we have confirmation that they may once be human before. We also confirmed that a related augmentation project was involved, codenamed 'Trident.' We all need the help we can get if we don't want any of our dimensions to suffer more. One more thing, I'll be called 'Crux' on the radio so pay attention at all times. That is all."

Most of the people were startled at the revelation.

"Calm down, everyone." Cipher suggested. "You might have found out about this earlier in your dimension."

"Oh, right." Mikie responded.

"Good."

"Alright, if there are no questions, you're dismissed."

Everyone saluted as the briefing finished.

(2219 hrs.)

In the balcony of the Spirit Manor, Origami was reading some of the files from their operations in a review when Cipher arrived.

"It's getting late." He said. "You should get some sleep."

"It's okay, sir." Origami responded. "I just need to review a few things."

"Just call me Cipher or Shido for that matter."

"Okay."

Her appearance reminded the pilot of something.

"I not sure about this but you do remind me of the Origami of our dimension back in my days of youth."

"So she does live there as well?"

"Yeah. She was a mercenary just like me, only that I became one when the Belkan War broke out. She was a quiet one. All she would ever want was to move on with her life after her parents died due to an accident and become a cute bride in a wedding with me as the best man. To me, I was helping her cope with the stress."

"I see."

"However...she lost her life protecting us from a stab of a sword."

"WHAT?!" Origami was shocked. "She..."

"I'm sorry if I had to say this. It made a scar on our minds, a painful reminder of that day. But I promised Origami to remember her and visit her grave to plant flowers. How I wished that if she's here, she would see your face."

Origami stood silent for a while to understand the situation. The answer shocked her but decided that it is in the past and she should move on.

"I get it. I hope she's watching us right now."

"I hope she is." Cipher repeated. "Now c'mon, let some rest."

Origami nodded before heading inside.


End file.
